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Short Answer Questions · Q27

Q.What is angle of minimum deviation?

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Concept understanding — Angle of Minimum Deviation and Refractive Index of Prism

Plotting deviation dd against angle of incidence i1i_1 for a prism gives a curve that falls to a single minimum value DD (the angle of minimum deviation) before rising again; at this minimum the ray path through the prism is symmetric, with the incident and emergent angles equal (i1=i2=ii_1=i_2=i), the two internal refraction angles equal (r1=r2=r=A/2r_1=r_2=r=A/2, since r1+r2=Ar_1+r_2=A), and the ray inside the prism running parallel to its base. Substituting i1=i2=ii_1=i_2=i, r1=r2=A/2r_1=r_2=A/2 and i=(A+D)/2i=(A+D)/2 (from D=2i−AD=2i-A) into Snell's law $n=\sin i/\sin …

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