The phenomenon of total internal reflection can occur when light travels from:
A denser medium to a rarer medium at an angle of incidence greater than the critical angle.
A denser medium to a rarer medium at an angle of incidence greater than the critical angle. is correct.
Total internal reflection occurs when two conditions are met together: (i) light travels from an optically denser medium to an optically rarer medium (for example from glass or water into air), and (ii) the angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle for that pair of media.
When the angle of incidence equals the critical angle, the refracted ray grazes the surface at \(90^\circ\); beyond it, no refraction is possible and all the light is reflected back into the denser medium. This is the principle behind optical fibres, the sparkle of diamonds and mirages.
Light going from a rarer to a denser medium bends towards the normal and can never be totally internally reflected, and from denser to rarer at just any angle it partly refracts. So only the denser-to-rarer case beyond the critical angle works.
Similar Questions
Due to which scientific phenomenon does a stick, when partly immersed in water, appears to be bent?
Convex mirror is used as:
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Important Questions from Optics
- The line joining the centre of curvature and the pole of a given spherical mirror is called __________.
- What is the condition for total internal reflection to occur?
- The critical angle for diamond is approximately ________.
- Which type of lens is used in a simple microscope?
- A student shows a concave lens forming a diminished real image on the screen. The mistake is:
