Light Refracted Through A Prism

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the refraction of light through an isosceles prism with a refractive index of 1.52. The problem involves determining the angle between two parallel rays after they pass through the prism, given specific angles of the prism and the nature of the rays' entry.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the application of Snell's Law and the implications of the angle of incidence and refraction. Some express uncertainty about the assumptions regarding the rays' entry angle, particularly whether they can be considered perpendicular to the prism's surface.

Discussion Status

The conversation includes attempts to clarify the setup of the problem and the conditions under which the rays enter the prism. Some participants provide alternative scenarios for consideration, while others acknowledge misunderstandings in the problem statement.

Contextual Notes

There is a noted ambiguity regarding the entry angle of the rays, with some participants questioning whether they can assume perpendicular entry based on the problem's wording.

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[SOLVED] Light Refracted Through A Prism

Homework Statement



Two parallel rays enter the longest side of a prism of refractive index 1.52. The prism is isosceles in shape and has angles of 23, 23 and 134 degrees. Assuming that the rays enter the prism on either side of the perpenical divider (ie at least half of the length of the prism side between them) what is the measure of the angle between the two emerging rays?


Homework Equations



n1sin(theta1)=n2sin(theta2)


The Attempt at a Solution



My biggest problem is that I'm not sure how to deal with the unknown angle of incidence or refraction. If I take n(air) = 1, then the above equation would read sin(angle of incidence)/sin(angle of refraction)=1.52 which just gives me another wording of Snell's Law. I've tried dealing with only half of the prism so I have a right-angled triangle with angles 23 and 67, but in truth I'm really not sure how to even approach this. Any help at all would be great. Thanks!
 
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Suppose two parallel rays enter the longest side of a prism of refractive index 1.52 perpendicular to the longest side. They enter the prism without deviation.The angle of incedence on the other face is equal to 23 degree. Find the angle of refraction and angle of deviation for one ray. Double the deviation is the angle between the refracted rays.
 
This is where I had trouble... I wasn't sure I could assume that the rays were perpendicular to the prism, since the question doesn't specifically state this.
 
Sorry, my mistake, must read question more carefully! Thank you!
 
i didnt get it...
 

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