Snell's Law/Critical Angles Problem

  • Thread starter Nikki196
  • Start date
  • Tags
    Angles
In summary, the conversation discusses the topic of critical angle problems and using Snell's law to solve them. The speaker mentions being unsure about finding the incident angle when given a circle, and asks for assistance. The respondent advises providing more information and possibly a drawing to better understand the problem, as it involves geometry and Snell-Descartes law. They also mention that the angle of reflection on a circle is measured with the tangent line.
  • #1
Nikki196
3
0
I know how to do critical angle problems, using snell's law, but i was given a circle and I'm not sure how i should go about finding the incident angle.. If someone could help me out with that it would be awesome! THX
Nicole
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
Nikki196 said:
I know how to do critical angle problems, using snell's law, but i was given a circle and I'm not sure how i should go about finding the incident angle.. If someone could help me out with that it would be awesome! THX
Nicole


Post the exact text of the problem and maybe attach some drawing,since this is a problem that will use some geometry.And it's Snell-Descartes law.
That is if u want us to help u...

Daniel.
 
  • #3
If your light ray is reflecting off a circle (or cylinder), the angle is the angle made with the tangent line to the circle.
 

1. What is Snell's Law?

Snell's Law, also known as the Law of Refraction, is a fundamental principle in physics that describes the relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of refraction when a light ray passes through the boundary between two different media with different refractive indices.

2. What is the critical angle in Snell's Law?

The critical angle is the angle of incidence at which the angle of refraction is 90 degrees. This occurs when light is passing from a medium with a higher refractive index to a medium with a lower refractive index.

3. How is Snell's Law used in real life?

Snell's Law is used in many real-life applications, such as designing lenses for glasses and cameras, calculating the bending of light in fiber optics, and understanding the behavior of light in water and air.

4. What happens when the angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle?

When the angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle, total internal reflection occurs. This means that all of the light is reflected back into the original medium instead of being refracted into the second medium.

5. How is the critical angle affected by the refractive indices of the two media?

The critical angle is affected by the refractive indices of the two media according to the equation sin(critical angle) = refractive index of second medium / refractive index of first medium. This means that as the refractive index of the second medium increases, the critical angle decreases.

Similar threads

  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
3
Views
768
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
9
Views
936
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
6
Views
949
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
1
Views
863
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
9
Views
1K
Replies
6
Views
1K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
6
Views
886
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
2
Views
861
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
2
Views
1K
Replies
1
Views
1K
Back
Top