- #1
jegues
- 1,097
- 3
Homework Statement
See figure attached for problem statement.
Homework Equations
The Attempt at a Solution
I'm getting a disagreement in my equations so I must be doing something wrong.
We have two unknowns,
[tex]n_{1},\theta_{2}[/tex]
My first equation,
[tex]n_{1}sin\theta_{1}=n_{2}sin\theta_{2}[/tex]
my second equation (This is where I think I am misunderstanding something)
Since it is experiencing total internal reflection,
[tex]\theta_{2} = arcsin\frac{n_{1}}{n_{2}}[/tex]
Or in other words,
[tex]sin\theta_{2} = \frac{n_{1}}{n_{2}}[/tex]
If I plug this into my first equation I get an inconsistency because,
[tex]sin\theta_{1} \neq 1[/tex]
What am I doing wrong?