Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Snell's Law
Snell's Law describes how light refracts when it passes between two different media. It states that the ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction is constant and equal to the ratio of the velocities of light in the two media. Mathematically, it is expressed as n1 * sin(θ1) = n2 * sin(θ2), where n represents the refractive indices and θ represents the angles relative to the normal.
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Critical Angle
The critical angle is the angle of incidence above which total internal reflection occurs when light travels from a denser medium to a less dense medium. It is defined as the angle at which the refracted angle is 90 degrees, meaning the light does not exit the denser medium. The critical angle can be calculated using the formula θc = arcsin(n2/n1), where n1 and n2 are the refractive indices of the two media.
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Total Internal Reflection
Total internal reflection is a phenomenon that occurs when a light ray traveling in a denser medium hits a boundary with a less dense medium at an angle greater than the critical angle. Instead of refracting into the second medium, the light is completely reflected back into the denser medium. This principle is utilized in optical fibers and various optical devices to guide light efficiently.
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Total Internal Reflection