Applications of refractive index
Answer Text: Applications of refractivec indexTotal internal reflection:-This occurs when light travels from a denser optical medium to a less dense medium. The refracted ray moves away from the normal until a critical angle is reached usually 900 where the refracted ray is parallel to the boundary between the two media. If this critical angle is exceeded totalinternal reflection occurs and at this point no refractionoccurs but the ray is reflected internally within the denser medium.Relationship between the critical angle and refractive index.Consider the following diagramFrom Snell’s law gnw = sinCsin900,but ang =1 gna since sin 900 = 1Therefore ang= 1sinC,hence sin C=1n or n=1sinCExampleCalculate the critical angle of diamond given that its refractive index is 2.42SolutionSin C=1n=12.42=0.4132= 24.40