Angle between the incident ray and the reflected ray?

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In summary, the angle of reflection for a ray of light striking a mirror at an angle of 53 degrees to the normal is also 53 degrees. The angle between the incident ray and the reflected ray is 106 degrees. The index of refraction for a block of quartz with an angle of incidence of 30 degrees and an angle of refraction of 20 degrees is 2.25. The correct equation for this would be Nr= sin 30/sin 20. The index of refraction of air does not need to be specified in this equation. The index of refraction of quartz used in this calculation is 1.54, which is slightly different from the value of 1.46 obtained from the equation
  • #1
jai6638
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A ray of light strikes a mirror at an angle of 53 degrees to the normal.

A) what is the angle of reflection?
Ans: 53 degrees

B) what is the angle between the incident ray and the reflected ray?
Ans: 53+53 = 106 degrees

C) A ray of light has an angle of incidence of 30 degres on a block of quartz and an angle of refraction of 20 degrees. What is the index of refraction for this block of quartz?
Ans: Nr = (1.54) (sin 30) / (sin20) = 2.25

are the above answers correct?

thanks
 
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  • #2
Where did the 1.54 com from in:?
"Nr = (1.54) (sin 30) / (sin20) = 2.25"
Is the light ray in air before it hits the quartz? I am assuming so. So one of your indexes of refraction in the above equation should be 1 since 1 is the index of refraction of air.
 
  • #3
but... don't i have to specify the index of refraction of quartz which is 1.54... i don't see where the index of refraction of air would fit in..

EDIT: nevermind figured it out... so basically it'll be Nr= sin 30/sin20?
 
Last edited:
  • #4
Yes that looks good with the edit
 
  • #5
great.. thanks much :)
 
  • #6
No problem and thank you for the response at the end it is nice to know that I helped.
 
  • #7
jai6638 said:
but... don't i have to specify the index of refraction of quartz which is 1.54... i don't see where the index of refraction of air would fit in..

EDIT: nevermind figured it out... so basically it'll be Nr= sin 30/sin20?

The problem ASKED for the index of refraction of quartz! Actually there are different kinds of quartz that have slightly varying indices of refraction. Since sin(30)/sin(20)= 1.46, that's not too far off your value.
 
  • #8
Yeah I looked it up. It think this type of quartz is Fused quartz, do either of you know the difference between fused quartz and just plain old quartz?
 

Related to Angle between the incident ray and the reflected ray?

What is the angle between the incident ray and the reflected ray?

The angle between the incident ray and the reflected ray is known as the angle of reflection. It is measured as the angle between the incident ray and the normal line, which is a line perpendicular to the surface at the point of incidence.

How is the angle of reflection related to the angle of incidence?

The angle of reflection is always equal to the angle of incidence. This is known as the law of reflection and it applies to all types of surfaces, whether they are smooth or rough.

Can the angle of reflection be greater than the angle of incidence?

No, the angle of reflection cannot be greater than the angle of incidence. According to the law of reflection, the angle of reflection is always equal to the angle of incidence, and it cannot be greater or smaller than it.

What happens if the incident ray is perpendicular to the surface?

If the incident ray is perpendicular to the surface, the angle of incidence will be 90 degrees and the angle of reflection will also be 90 degrees. This means that the reflected ray will travel along the surface in the opposite direction.

How does the angle of reflection affect the direction of the reflected ray?

The angle of reflection determines the direction of the reflected ray. If the incident ray strikes the surface at an angle, the reflected ray will also travel at an equal but opposite angle. This means that the direction of the reflected ray will change based on the angle of incidence.

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