Final answer:
The critical angle for a special glass material with an index of refraction of 1.73 in air is approximately 35.31°, calculated using the formula for the critical angle based on the ratio of the indices of refraction between air and the glass material.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking about the critical angle for a special glass material used in a fiber optic cable, where the material has an index of refraction of 1.73, and the surrounding medium is air. To find the critical angle, we can use the formula íc = sin¹(n₂/n₁), where n₂ is the index of refraction of air (approximately 1.00) and n₁ is the index of refraction of the glass material (1.73). Applying this formula, we calculate the critical angle as follows:
c = sin¹(1.00/1.73)
c ≈ sin¹(0.578)
c ≈ 35.31°
Therefore, the critical angle for light traveling from the special glass material to air is approximately 35.31°.