A fiber optic cable uses total internal reflection. What is the minimum refracti
Practice Questions
Q1
A fiber optic cable uses total internal reflection. What is the minimum refractive index required for the core if the cladding has a refractive index of 1.45?
1.50
1.45
1.60
1.75
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
A fiber optic cable uses total internal reflection. What is the minimum refractive index required for the core if the cladding has a refractive index of 1.45?
Step 1: Understand that a fiber optic cable has two parts: the core and the cladding.
Step 2: Know that the core is the part that carries the light, and the cladding surrounds it.
Step 3: Remember that for total internal reflection to happen, the core must have a higher refractive index than the cladding.
Step 4: Identify the refractive index of the cladding, which is given as 1.45.
Step 5: Conclude that the refractive index of the core must be greater than 1.45 for total internal reflection to occur.
Total Internal Reflection – The phenomenon where light is completely reflected within a medium when it hits the boundary at an angle greater than the critical angle, requiring the medium to have a higher refractive index than the surrounding medium.
Refractive Index – A measure of how much light slows down in a medium compared to its speed in a vacuum; essential for determining the conditions for total internal reflection.
