Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A ray falls on a prism of angle and refractive index , at an angle of incidence of . Find , , the angle of emergence and the deviation .
In a prism, and the deviation is . At each face, Snell's law: and . The deviation is least when the ray passes symmetrically, with .
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.
Step 1. First face. , so .
Step 2. Inside. .
Step 3. Second face. , so .
Step 4. Deviation. .
Answer: , , , .
Check. and are nearly equal, so the ray is close to the symmetric path.
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