Q.At what angle should a ray of light be incident on the face of a prism of refracting angle 60∘ so that it just suffers total internal reflection at the other face? The refractive index of the material of the prism is 1.524.
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🔒 Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Concept understanding — Total Internal Reflection
Total Internal Reflection: When Light Decides to Stay Home
Imagine you're running on a beach toward the water. On sand, you run fast. The moment you hit the water, your speed drops — the water "resists" more. If you run at a shallow angle toward the waterline, your legs will suddenly slow down, and your body will twist. That twist is refraction — light bending when it changes speed between two media.
Now imagine the reverse: you're swimming in the water, heading toward the shore. You're moving slower in water, and you want to get out onto the fast sand. If you approach the shore at a very shallow angle — almost parallel to the beach — you might never make it out. The sudden speed-up as you hit the sand could "reflect" you back into the water. That's the intuition for total internal reflection.
The Core Idea
Light normally passes from one transparent medium to another (say, from water to air) and bends away from the normal — because it speeds up. But if the angle of incidence in the slower medium is large enough, the light can't escape. It gets completely reflected back inside the first medium. No light transmits. That's total internal reflection.
Total internal reflection (TIR) occurs only when light travels from a denser (slower) medium to a rarer (faster) medium, and the angle of incidence exceeds a critical value.
The Two Conditions (Memorise These)
For TIR to happen, both must be true:
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Light must go from a denser medium to a rarer medium (e.g., glass → air, water → air, diamond → air).
Denser means higher refractive index (n). Light slows down in a denser medium.
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Angle of incidence (i) must be greater than the critical angle (C).
The critical angle is the angle of incidence in the denser medium for which the angle of refraction in the rarer medium is exactly 90∘.
The Critical Angle — The Tipping Point
Look at the diagram in your mind: a ray in water heading toward the surface. As you increase the angle of incidence, the refracted ray in air bends more and more away from the normal. At some specific angle C, the refracted ray skims exactly along the surface — angle of refraction =90∘.
sinC=ndensernrarer
For water (n=1.33) to air (n=1.00):
sinC=1.331.00≈0.75⇒C≈48.6∘
So if you shine a light from water into air at an angle greater than about 49∘ from the normal, the light will not leave the water at all. It reflects back down — perfectly.
What Actually Happens at the Boundary?
- i<C: Most light refracts out; a little reflects (normal partial reflection).
- i=C: Refracted ray grazes the surface; transmitted intensity is nearly zero.
- i>C: No transmitted ray. All the light energy reflects back into the denser medium. The reflection is 100% — no absorption, no transmission.
TIR is not the same as ordinary reflection from a mirror. In TIR, there is no silvering or coating. The reflection happens because the wave cannot exist in the rarer medium — it's forced back. This gives perfect reflection with zero energy loss, unlike a metal mirror which absorbs some light.
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Why this formula?
Total Internal Reflection: Why the Key Formulas Hold
Total Internal Reflection (TIR) is a fascinating optical phenomenon where light, instead of escaping from a denser medium into a rarer one, gets completely reflected back into the denser medium. Let's build the understanding from first principles.
1. The Foundation: Snell's Law
The entire story begins with Snell's Law:
n1sinθ1=n2sinθ2
Where:
- n1 = refractive index of the denser medium (e.g., glass, water)
- n2 = refractive index of the rarer medium (e.g., air)
- θ1 = angle of incidence (in denser medium)
- θ2 = angle of refraction (in rarer medium)
Key fact: n1>n2 (light travels from denser to rarer).
2. The Critical Angle: Where Refraction "Bends" to 90°
As θ1 increases, θ2 increases faster (because n1>n2). At some special angle, θ2 becomes exactly 90∘ — the refracted ray grazes the surface.
Set θ2=90∘ in Snell's Law:
n1sinθc=n2sin90∘
Since sin90∘=1:
sinθc=n1n2
Why this formula?
It's not arbitrary — it's the limit of Snell's Law. The critical angle θc is the largest incidence angle for which refraction is still possible. Beyond this, Snell's Law would demand sinθ2>1, which is impossible — no real angle satisfies it.
3. Beyond the Critical Angle: Why TIR Occurs
When θ1>θc:
- Snell's Law gives sinθ2=n2n1sinθ1>1
- No real θ2 exists
- Physics says: the wave cannot "fit" into the rarer medium
- Result: All energy is reflected back into the denser medium
This isn't a failure of Snell's Law — it's a physical boundary where the wave's behaviour changes from propagating to evanescent (decaying).
4. The Condition for TIR (Exam-Ready Summary)
For Total Internal Reflection to occur, both conditions must hold:
- Light travels from denser to rarer medium (n1>n2) …
Concept: Total Internal Reflection (TIR) — the ray must strike the second face at an angle equal to or greater than the critical angle.
Step 1: Find the critical angle for the prism-air interface.
For TIR at the second face, the angle of incidence inside the prism at that face must equal the critical angle C:
sinC=μ1=1.5241⇒C=sin−1(0.6562)≈41∘.
Step 2: Relate prism angles.
For a prism with refracting angle A=60∘, the geometry inside gives:
r1+r2=A,
where r1 is the angle of refraction at the first face and r2 is the angle of incidence at the second face. For TIR at the second face, r2=C=41∘. Hence: …
The ray must enter the prism at an angle of incidence such that after refraction, it strikes the second face at exactly the critical angle. For a 60∘ prism with n=1.524, the required angle of incidence is approximately 29.75∘.
The key idea here is that "just suffers total internal reflection" means the ray hits the second face at exactly the critical angle — any less and it would refract out, any more and it would still reflect but we want the threshold. This is a classic prism problem that ties together Snell's law at the first face and the critical angle condition at the second face, linked by the prism's geometry.
Let’s unpack why this works. Total internal reflection (TIR) happens when light tries to go from a denser medium (prism, n=1.524) to a rarer medium (air, n=1) at an angle greater than the critical angle. The critical angle C is given by sinC=n1. For the ray to "just" suffer TIR, the angle of incidence on the second face must equal C. The prism angle A=60∘ then relates this internal angle to the angle of refraction at the first face through simple geometry.
A common mistake is to confuse the angle of incidence on the first face with the angle inside the prism. Remember: the ray bends at entry, so the internal angle is not the same as the external incidence angle.
Now let’s work through it step by step.
- Find the critical angle for the prism material. The refractive index of the prism relative to air is n=1.524. For TIR at the second face, the angle of incidence inside the prism on that face must be at least the critical angle C, where
sinC=n1=1.5241
So
C=sin−1(1.5241)
Calculating: 1.5241≈0.6562, so C≈41.0∘ (more precisely, 41.0∘ is a good approximation; let's keep it exact for now).
- Relate the prism geometry to the internal angles. In a prism, the sum of the angles inside the triangle formed by the ray and the two faces is 180∘. Specifically, if r1 is the angle of refraction at the first face (inside the prism) and r2 is the angle of incidence on the second face (also inside the prism), then for a prism of angle A:
r1+r2=A
This is because the normals at the two faces are inclined at angle A, and the ray's path inside forms a triangle with them.
Here A=60∘, and for "just" TIR, r2=C≈41.0∘. Therefore:
r1=A−r2=60∘−C
So r1≈60∘−41.0∘=19.0∘.
- Apply Snell's law at the first face to find the external angle of incidence i. At the first face, light goes from air (n=1) into the prism (n=1.524). Snell's law:
sini=nsinr1
Substituting r1=60∘−C:
Method: Critical Angle & Prism Geometry Approach
This problem uses the condition for total internal reflection (TIR) combined with Snell’s law and the angle-sum relation in a prism.
Step 1 — Find the critical angle for the prism material
For TIR at the second face, the angle of incidence inside the prism at that face must equal the critical angle C.
From Snell’s law:
sinC=μ1
Given μ=1.524:
sinC=1.5241≈0.6562
C≈sin−1(0.6562)≈41.0∘
Key result: The ray inside the prism strikes the second face at 41.0∘ for TIR.
Step 2 — Relate prism angles
In a prism with refracting angle A=60∘, the angles inside the prism are related by:
r1+r2=A
Here r2 is the angle of incidence at the second face, which equals C for TIR:
r2=C≈41.0∘
Thus:
r1=A−r2=60∘−41.0∘=19.0∘
Step 3 — Apply Snell’s law at the first face …
Here are the most common mistakes students make when solving this Total Internal Reflection (TIR) problem, along with how to avoid each.
Mistake 1: Confusing the angle of incidence at the first face with the angle at the second face
The error:
Students often think the given condition (“just suffers TIR at the other face”) refers to the angle of incidence at the first face. They then try to directly apply Snell’s law at the first surface using 1.524 and 60∘, leading to a wrong answer.
How to avoid:
- Read carefully: The TIR happens at the second face (the other face).
- The angle of incidence at the second face (r2) must equal the critical angle for the prism material.
- First find the critical angle C using:
sinC=μ1=1.5241
C≈41∘
This C is the value of r2 at the second face.
Mistake 2: Forgetting the prism geometry relation between r1 and r2
The error:
After finding r2=C, students sometimes forget that for a prism, the sum of the two refraction angles equals the prism angle A:
r1+r2=A
They might incorrectly set r1=A or r2=A.
How to avoid:
- Always write the prism relation first:
r1+r2=A
- Here A=60∘ and r2=C≈41∘, so:
r1=60∘−41∘=19∘
Mistake 3: Using the wrong Snell’s law sign or direction at the first face
The error:
When applying Snell’s law at the first face, students sometimes write:
μ=sinr1sini
but forget that the ray is going from air (μ=1) into prism (μ=1.524). They may invert the fraction.
How to avoid:
- Always write Snell’s law in the correct order:
μairsini=μprismsinr1
- Since μair=1, this becomes:
sini=1.524×sin19∘
- Calculate sin19∘≈0.3256, then:
sini≈1.524×0.3256≈0.496
i≈sin−1(0.496)≈29.75∘
Mistake 4: Not checking if the calculated i is physically possible
The error:
Students sometimes get sini>1 due to a calculation slip (e.g., using r1=41∘ instead of 19∘). They then report an impossible angle.
How to avoid:
- Always check: sini must be ≤1. …
- COMEDK 2026Set 2026-A1 markMCQQ.The critical angle for a typical glass air interface is 42∘. If a ray of light falls normally on one of the faces of the prism of angle 45∘. The emergent ray will: (A) Go undeviated (B) Will pass parallel to the second surface (C) Will undergo refraction with a refracting angle 45∘ (D) Undergo total internal reflection from the second face
›Reveal solutionSolution
A ray entering normally into a prism of angle 45∘ hits the second face at 45∘, which exceeds the critical angle of 42∘, so it undergoes total internal reflection — the correct option is (D).
The key here is to connect the prism angle, the path of the ray, and the critical angle condition. When a ray enters a prism normally (perpendicular to the surface), it does not bend at the first face. So the ray inside the prism travels straight toward the second face. The angle at which it meets that second face is simply the prism angle itself. If that angle is larger than the critical angle for the glass-air interface, the ray cannot escape — it reflects internally.
Why this approach works:
We don’t need Snell’s law at the first face because normal incidence means zero refraction. The only question is whether the ray can exit the second face. That depends on comparing the angle of incidence on the second face to the critical angle. The prism angle is given as 45∘, and the critical angle is 42∘. Since 45∘>42∘, total internal reflection occurs.
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Ray enters normally — The ray is perpendicular to the first face, so it passes straight into the glass without bending. Its direction inside the prism is exactly along the normal to the first face.
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Geometry inside the prism — In a prism, the angle between the two faces is the prism angle A=45∘. The ray, traveling straight from the first face, will hit the second face at an angle equal to A. This is because the ray’s path is perpendicular to the first face, and the second face is tilted by A relative to the first. So the angle of incidence on the second face is i=45∘.
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Compare with the critical angle — The critical angle for glass-air is given as 42∘. Total internal reflection occurs when the angle of incidence inside the denser medium exceeds the critical angle. Here 45∘>42∘, so the ray cannot refract out — it must reflect internally. …
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- COMEDK 2026Set 2026-M1 markMCQQ.If a clear liquid has a refractive index of 1.45 and a transparent solid has a refractive index of 2.9 , then for total internal reflection to occur at the interface between the two media; which of the following is correct? A. The ray must travel from transparent solid to liquid at an angle of 15∘ B. The ray must travel from liquid to transparent solid at an angle of 45∘ C. The ray must travel from transparent solid to liquid at an angle of 30∘ D. The ray must travel from liquid to transparent solid at an angle of 60∘ (A) B (B) C (C) D (D) A
›Reveal solutionSolution
TIR needs light going from the denser medium (solid, n=2.9) to the rarer (liquid, n=1.45) at an angle ≥ the critical angle 30∘. The only choice in the correct direction and at that angle is "solid → liquid at 30∘", listed as option (B).
Condition for total internal reflection. TIR can occur only when light travels from the optically denser medium into the rarer one, at an angle of incidence greater than or equal to the critical angle θc.
Here the solid (n2=2.9) is denser than the liquid (n1=1.45), so the ray must go solid → liquid. This immediately rules out any choice describing "liquid → solid" (rarer to denser can never give TIR).
Critical angle:
sinθc=ndensernrarer=2.91.45=0.5 ⇒ θc=30∘ …
- KCET 2025Set D-41 markMCQQ.The total energy carried by the light wave when it travels from a rarer to a non-reflecting and non-absorbing medium (A) remains same (B) increases (C) either increases or decreases depending upon angle of incidence (D) decreases
›Reveal solutionSolution
Non-reflecting + non-absorbing means no energy is turned back and none is dissipated, so conservation of energy forces the transmitted energy to equal the incident energy.
Step 1 — Account for all the energy at an interface.
When light meets a boundary between two media, the incident energy in general splits three ways:
Eincident=Ereflected+Eabsorbed+Etransmitted
Step 2 — Apply the stated conditions.
The question says the second medium is non-reflecting and non-absorbing. Therefore
Ereflected=0,Eabsorbed=0
Substituting:
Etransmitted=Eincident
So the total energy carried by the wave is unchanged. There is simply no physical channel left through which it could grow or shrink — and energy cannot be created, so "increases" is ruled out on principle.
Step 3 — What does change on refraction, and what does not.
It is worth being precise, because this is where the distractors live:
- Frequency ν — unchanged. The oscillating fields at the boundary drive the second medium at the same rate; the frequency is set by the source. This is why the photon energy E=hν of each photon is also unchanged.
- Speed v — changes: v=c/n.
- Wavelength λ — changes: λ=v/ν=λvac/n.
- Intensity (energy per unit area per unit time) — can change, because the beam cross-section and speed change — but the total energy carried does not. …
- COMEDK 2025Set 2025-A1 markMCQQ.A ray of light is travelling from glass of refractive index 23 to water of refractive Index 34. What is the minimum angle of incidence for which no light enters in to the water? (A) ic=sin−1(89) (B) ic=sin−1(98) (C) ic=sin−1(32) (D) ic=sin−1(21)
›Reveal solutionSolution
The problem asks for the critical angle for total internal reflection when light goes from glass (n = 3/2) to water (n = 4/3). The minimum angle of incidence for no light entering water is the critical angle, given by sinic=nwater/nglass=(4/3)/(3/2)=8/9, so ic=sin−1(8/9). The correct option is (B).
Concept and Intuition
Total internal reflection occurs when light travels from a denser medium (higher refractive index) to a rarer medium (lower refractive index) and the angle of incidence exceeds a certain threshold called the critical angle. At the critical angle, the refracted ray grazes the boundary (angle of refraction = 90°). For angles larger than this, no light enters the second medium — it is all reflected back. Here, glass (n = 1.5) is denser than water (n ≈ 1.333), so total internal reflection is possible. The minimum angle for which no light enters water is exactly this critical angle.
Step-by-step solution
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Identify the refractive indices
Glass: ng=23
Water: nw=34
Since ng>nw, light travels from denser to rarer medium.
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Recall Snell’s law at the critical angle
Snell’s law: ngsini=nwsinr
At the critical angle ic, the angle of refraction r=90∘, so sinr=1.
Thus:
ngsinic=nw⋅1
- Solve for sinic
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- COMEDK 2025Set 2025-M1 markMCQQ.Two light rays A and B travel from a medium into air at angles of incidence 15 degrees and 42 degrees respectively. In the medium, light travels 3 cm in 0.2 ns . Will there be total internal reflection? If so, which ray? (A) No (B) Yes, A (C) Yes, B (D) Yes, Both A and B
›Reveal solutionSolution
The medium's speed gives n=2, so the critical angle is θc=30∘. Ray A (15∘) escapes, but ray B (42∘>30∘) is totally internally reflected. The correct option is (C).
Total internal reflection occurs when light travels from a denser to a rarer medium at an angle of incidence exceeding the critical angle θc, where sinθc=nmediumnair.
- Speed of light in the medium. It covers 3 cm=0.03 m in 0.2 ns=0.2×10−9 s:
v=0.2×10−90.03=1.5×108 m/s.
- Refractive index.
n=vc=1.5×1083×108=2.0.
- Critical angle for the medium-to-air interface: …
- COMEDK 2024Set 2024-A1 markMCQQ.Light enters at an angle of incidence in a transparent rod of refractive index 'n'. The least value of 'n' for which the light once entered into it will not leave it through its lateral face whatsoever be the value of the angle of incidence is (A) 2 (B) 1.5 (C) 2 (D) 1.3
›Reveal solutionSolution
The most demanding case is light entering at grazing incidence; requiring total internal reflection at the side wall then gives n≥2, so nmin=2.
Light enters the flat end face at angle i and refracts at r, then strikes the lateral face at angle (90∘−r). For it never to escape the side, this must exceed the critical angle θc for all i:
90∘−r≥θc ⇒ cosr≥sinθc=n1. …
- KCET 2023Set A-31 markMCQQ.An unpolarised light of intensity I is passed through two polaroids kept one after the other with their planes parallel to each other. The intensity of light emerging from second polaroid is 4I. The angle between the pass axes of the polaroids is (A) 0∘ (B) 60∘ (C) 30∘ (D) 45∘
›Reveal solutionSolution
Unpolarised light loses half its intensity at the first polaroid; then apply Malus' law and solve 21cos2θ=41.
1. First polaroid — the factor of one half.
Unpolarised light contains all vibration directions with equal probability. A polaroid transmits only the component along its pass axis, and averaging cos2θ over all angles gives ⟨cos2θ⟩=21. Hence, for any orientation of the first polaroid:
I1=2I
and this light is now plane-polarised along the first pass axis.
2. Second polaroid — Malus' law.
The light reaching the second polaroid is polarised, so Malus' law applies. Only the component of the electric field along the second pass axis gets through, E2=E1cosθ, and since intensity ∝E2:
I2=I1cos2θ
where θ is the angle between the pass axes.
3. Impose the given condition. …
- KCET 2021Set B-21 markMCQQ.If the refractive index from air to glass is 23 and that from air to water is 34, then the ratio of focal lengths of a glass lens in water and in air is (A) 1:2 (B) 2:1 (C) 1:4 (D) 4:1
›Reveal solutionSolution
Apply the lens-maker's formula twice, using the refractive index of the glass relative to the surrounding medium each time; the ratio of the (μrel−1) terms gives fw:fa=4:1.
1. The governing formula
f1=(μrel−1)(R11−R21)
where μrel=μmediumμlens is the refractive index of the lens with respect to the medium it sits in. This is the crux of the problem: the radii are fixed by the glass, but the relative index changes when you move the lens from air to water.
Let the (constant, purely geometric) factor be
K=(R11−R21)
2. Extract the absolute indices from the data
- Air → glass: aμg=23=1.5⇒μglass=1.5 (taking μair=1)
- Air → water: aμw=34⇒μwater=34
3. Focal length in AIR
μrel=μairμglass=13/2=23
fa1=(23−1)K=21K(1)
4. Focal length in WATER
μrel=wμg=μwaterμglass=4/33/2=23×43=89=1.125
fw1=(89−1)K=81K(2)
5. Take the ratio
Divide (1) by (2):
1/fw1/fa=81K21K=21×18=4
⟹fafw=4⟹fw:fa=4:1 …
- COMEDK 2021Set 2021-B1 markMCQQ.The brilliance of diamond is due to the fact that (A) Critical angle for diamond-air interface is high (B) Critical angle is high and refractive index is low (C) Critical angle is low and refractive angle is high (D) Its refractive index is low.
›Reveal solutionSolution
Diamond's high refractive index gives a low critical angle (sinθc=1/μ), so light is totally internally reflected many times before emerging — the source of its brilliance.
The critical angle is set by sinθc=1/μ. Diamond's refractive index is very high (μ≈2.42), giving a low critical angle of about 24∘. Because so many internal rays exceed this angle, they undergo repeated total internal reflection and finally emerge concentrated, producing the characteristic sparkle. Thus brilliance requi …
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