If the angle of incidence is equal to the critical angle, what is the angle of r
Practice Questions
Q1
If the angle of incidence is equal to the critical angle, what is the angle of refraction?
0°
45°
90°
It cannot be determined.
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
If the angle of incidence is equal to the critical angle, what is the angle of refraction?
Step 1: Understand what the angle of incidence is. It is the angle between the incoming ray and the normal (an imaginary line perpendicular to the surface).
Step 2: Know what the critical angle is. The critical angle is the angle of incidence at which light cannot pass through the boundary and is instead reflected back.
Step 3: Recognize that when the angle of incidence equals the critical angle, the light is at the exact point where it can no longer refract into the second medium.
Step 4: Realize that at the critical angle, the angle of refraction becomes 90°. This means the refracted ray travels along the boundary between the two media.
Step 5: Conclude that if the angle of incidence is equal to the critical angle, the angle of refraction is 90°.
Critical Angle – The angle of incidence at which light is refracted at 90 degrees, causing the refracted ray to travel along the boundary between two media.
Refraction – The bending of light as it passes from one medium to another, which is dependent on the angle of incidence and the refractive indices of the media.