Final answer:
The critical angle is smaller for blue light compared to green light. Blue light has a larger index of refraction than green light. The critical angle for light emerging from glass into air can be calculated using the formula: sin(critical angle) = 1/index of refraction of glass. When looking through an aquarium at a fish, the fish appears closer than it actually is due to refraction of light.
Step-by-step explanation:
The critical angle for a medium depends on its index of refraction. The index of refraction determines how much light bends when it passes from one medium to another. The critical angle is the angle of incidence where the angle of refraction becomes 90 degrees, resulting in total internal reflection. When comparing green light and blue light, the critical angle is smaller for blue light because blue light has a larger index of refraction than green light.
The index of refraction is a measure of how much a material slows down light as it passes through it. The larger the index of refraction, the more the light is bent. In this case, because the critical angle is smaller for blue light than for green light, it means that blue light has a larger index of refraction compared to green light.
The critical angle for light emerging from glass into air can be calculated using the formula: sin(critical angle) = 1/index of refraction of glass. Assuming the index of refraction of glass is 1.5, we can solve for the critical angle: sin(critical angle) = 1/1.5, critical angle ≈ 41.81°.
When looking through an aquarium at a fish, the fish is not as close as it appears. This is because light from the fish undergoes refraction as it passes from water (with a higher index of refraction) to air (with a lower index of refraction). This bending of light makes the fish appear closer than it actually is.