Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A prism with angles of , and is made of glass with refractive index . In air it turns a beam through by total internal reflection at its long face. Find the smallest refractive index for which this works in air. The prism is now lowered into water of refractive index and the beam falls along the normal on a short face, as in the picture. Find the critical angle for glass to water, and the angle between the ray in the water and the normal of the long face. Find the smallest refractive index that works in water.
In a prism and . At minimum deviation , and . Light leaves only if , and then . A thin prism has .
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Given. Glass , water and the angle of incidence on the long face is .
Plan. We compare with the critical angle, first in air and then in water.
Step 1. In air. Total reflection needs , so . The glass has , so it works.
Step 2. The critical angle in water. , so .
Step 3. The ray in the water. The angle of incidence, , is less than , so most of the light leaves the glass. Snell's law gives , so with the normal.
Step 4. The index needed in water. We need , so .
Answer: , , and .
Watch out. No ordinary glass has an index of . Under water the long face must be silvered, or the prism used in air.
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