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Question

A light ray is falling on a face of an equilateral glass prism as shown in the figure :

Which one of the following diagrams correctly shows the complete path of the ray through the glass prism?

This question was previously asked in
NDA 1 2026 GAT Question Paper (12-Apr-2026)
The correct answer is

The question involves understanding the path of a light ray passing through an equilateral glass prism. Here, we need to determine which diagram accurately shows the light's path through the prism. Let's break down the process:

  1. The light ray enters the prism at a face, making an incident angle with the normal.
  2. Refraction occurs at the entrance because the speed of light changes as it moves from air (or vacuum) into glass, affecting the ray's direction according to Snell's Law: \(n_1 \sin \theta_1 = n_2 \sin \theta_2\), where \(n_1\) and \(n_2\) are the refractive indices of air and glass respectively, and \(\theta_1\) and \(\theta_2\) are the angles of incidence and refraction.
  3. After refraction through the first surface, the light travels across the prism and approaches the second face.
  4. At the second face, another refraction occurs as the light exits the prism back into the air. The light again changes direction according to Snell's Law.
  5. For an equilateral prism with equal angles, the ray inside typically bends towards the base of the prism and, upon exiting, bends away from the normal.

Given these steps, the correct diagram of the path will show the light ray bending towards the base inside the prism and bending away upon exiting. This process is accurately displayed in the third option.

Hence, the correct diagram illustrating the path of the light ray through the glass prism is the third option.

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Important Questions from Refraction and Reflection

  1. Which of the following is NOT an example of refraction of light?

  2. If the object distance and the image distance from a concave mirror is -20 cm, what is the focal length of the mirror?

  3. Water drops shine on a lotus leaf due to:

  4. A convex lens 'A' of focal length $10 \text{ cm}$ and another convex lens 'B' of focal length $20 \text{ cm}$ are kept along the same axis with a distance '$d$' between them. If a parallel beam of light falling on 'A' leaves 'B' as a parallel beam, then the distance '$d$' in $cm$ will be :

  5. A ray is incident at an angle of incidence $i$ on one surface of a small angle prism (with angle of prism $A$ and refractive index $\mu$). The ray emerges normally from the opposite surface, causing a total angle of deviation $\delta$ from its original path. Assuming all angles are small, the angle of incidence $i$ is nearly equal to:
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