What happens to the light ray when it hits the boundary at the critical angle?

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Question: What happens to the light ray when it hits the boundary at the critical angle?

Options:

Correct Answer: It travels along the boundary.

Solution:

At the critical angle, the light ray is refracted at 90°, traveling along the boundary between the two media.

What happens to the light ray when it hits the boundary at the critical angle?

What happens to the light ray when it hits the boundary at the critical angle?

Step 1: Understand that light travels through different materials, like air and water.
Step 2: Know that when light hits the boundary between two materials, it can either reflect or refract.
Step 3: The critical angle is a special angle where the light ray is at the edge of being refracted or reflected.
Step 4: When the light ray hits the boundary at the critical angle, it is refracted at exactly 90 degrees.
Step 5: This means the light ray travels along the boundary, not going into the second material or reflecting back.

Refraction and Critical Angle – The critical angle is the angle of incidence above which total internal reflection occurs; at this angle, the refracted ray travels along the boundary.