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Questions and Answers
What occurs when light hits the glass/air boundary at an angle greater than the critical angle?
What occurs when light hits the glass/air boundary at an angle greater than the critical angle?
A mirage is caused solely by total internal reflection.
A mirage is caused solely by total internal reflection.
False
What phenomenon causes cats' eyes to appear to shine?
What phenomenon causes cats' eyes to appear to shine?
Total internal reflection
A _____ is an optical system that transmits signals by total internal reflection.
A _____ is an optical system that transmits signals by total internal reflection.
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Match the following optical phenomena with their descriptions:
Match the following optical phenomena with their descriptions:
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Which of the following is NOT an example of total internal reflection?
Which of the following is NOT an example of total internal reflection?
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Total internal reflection occurs when light travels from a less dense medium to a denser medium.
Total internal reflection occurs when light travels from a less dense medium to a denser medium.
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What happens to light when it travels under water due to total internal reflection?
What happens to light when it travels under water due to total internal reflection?
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In step-index fibres, the core has a refractive index of 1.6 while the cladding has a refractive index of _____
In step-index fibres, the core has a refractive index of 1.6 while the cladding has a refractive index of _____
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What is the critical angle for glass in degrees?
What is the critical angle for glass in degrees?
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What happens to light when it passes from a dense medium to a rare medium?
What happens to light when it passes from a dense medium to a rare medium?
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Total internal reflection occurs when the angle of incidence is less than the critical angle.
Total internal reflection occurs when the angle of incidence is less than the critical angle.
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What is the condition for total internal reflection to occur?
What is the condition for total internal reflection to occur?
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When light passes from glass to air, it refracts away from the _____ .
When light passes from glass to air, it refracts away from the _____ .
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Match the following scenarios with their outcomes:
Match the following scenarios with their outcomes:
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In which situation would light not be refracted?
In which situation would light not be refracted?
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The critical angle is the angle of incidence at which light completely refracts into a rarer medium.
The critical angle is the angle of incidence at which light completely refracts into a rarer medium.
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What angle measurement indicates the critical point in light refraction?
What angle measurement indicates the critical point in light refraction?
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Total internal reflection occurs when light moves from a _____ medium to a _____ medium.
Total internal reflection occurs when light moves from a _____ medium to a _____ medium.
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Which transition results in total internal reflection?
Which transition results in total internal reflection?
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What is the angle of refraction when the critical angle is reached?
What is the angle of refraction when the critical angle is reached?
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What condition must the angle of incidence meet to achieve total internal reflection?
What condition must the angle of incidence meet to achieve total internal reflection?
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Total internal reflection occurs when all the incident light is reflected inside the optically __________ medium.
Total internal reflection occurs when all the incident light is reflected inside the optically __________ medium.
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Match the following terms with their definitions:
Match the following terms with their definitions:
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Given the refractive indices of water (1.33) and glass (1.5), what is the critical angle when light travels from glass to water?
Given the refractive indices of water (1.33) and glass (1.5), what is the critical angle when light travels from glass to water?
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The refractive index of air is always considered as 1 in calculations.
The refractive index of air is always considered as 1 in calculations.
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What does the equation $n_1 ext{sin} heta_1 = n_2 ext{sin} heta_2$ represent?
What does the equation $n_1 ext{sin} heta_1 = n_2 ext{sin} heta_2$ represent?
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An angle of incidence greater than the critical angle will result in __________.
An angle of incidence greater than the critical angle will result in __________.
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What happens to light when it travels from a denser medium to a less dense medium?
What happens to light when it travels from a denser medium to a less dense medium?
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Study Notes
7.4 Optics - Total Internal Reflection
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Critical angle: The angle of incidence in a denser medium where the refracted ray grazes along the boundary, creating an angle of refraction of 90°.
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Total internal reflection: Occurs when all incident light is reflected inside an optically denser medium, with no refraction.
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Conditions for total internal reflection:
- Light must pass from a denser medium to a less dense medium.
- Angle of incidence must be greater than the critical angle.
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Snell's Law application: Used to calculate the critical angle when light passes from a denser medium to a less dense medium, such as from glass to air, using the formula n₁ sin θ₁ = n₂ sin θ₂, where n₁ and n₂ are the refractive indices of the two media.
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Refractive index of air: Often taken as 1.
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Optical fibres: Communication systems that transmit signals by total internal reflection, where light is reflected at the core-cladding boundary and remains trapped within the core.
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Mirage: An optical illusion caused by multiple layers of air with differing temperatures and refractive indices on a hot day, causing light to bend as it passes through these layers, potentially creating the appearance of an object in a different location than its actual position due to total internal reflection within the layers of air.
7.4 Optics - Natural Phenomena
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Light under water: Light reflects internally at the water-air boundary due to water being optically denser than air.
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Cats' eyes: Shine due to total internal reflection, where light enters the eye at an angle greater than the critical angle and reflects back, making the eyes appear luminous.
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Rainbow: Caused by light refracting and internally reflecting within water droplets, causing dispersion of white light into the spectrum of colours.
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Description
Explore the principles of total internal reflection and critical angles in this quiz. Learn how Snell's Law applies when light transitions between different media. Test your understanding of optical fibers and their reliance on these concepts.
