Question

A ray of light is projected into a glass tube that is surrounded by air. The glass has an index of refraction of 1.50 and air has an index of refraction of 1.00. At what minimum angle will light in the glass tube be totally reflected at the glass/air interface?

Answer 1

θ = 41.8º

Step-by-step explanation:

This is an internal total reflection exercise, the equation that describes this process is

sin θ = n₂ / n₁

where n₂ is the index of the incident medium and n₁ the other medium must be met n₁> n₂

θ = sin⁻¹ n₂ / n₁

let's calculate

θ = sin⁻¹ (1.00 / 1.50)

θ = 41.8º