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A ray goes through a prism of angle 60°.

Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.

A ray goes through a prism of angle $60^\circ$ . The angle of incidence is $62^\circ$ and the angle of emergence is $37.5^\circ$ . Find the angle of deviation.

Need a reminder? The key ideaShow

In a prism, $r_1 + r_2 = A$ and the deviation is $\delta = i + e - A$ . At each face, Snell's law: $\sin i = n \sin r_1$ and $\sin e = n \sin r_2$ . The deviation is least when the ray passes symmetrically, with $r_1 = r_2 = \dfrac{A}{2}$ .

The worked solution

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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.

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