Q.State and explain Brewster's law.
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🔒 Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Concept understanding — Brewster's Angle
When unpolarised light hits a transparent surface — say, a glass window or a still water surface — the reflected light is usually a messy mixture of vibrations. But at one very particular angle of incidence, something clean happens: the reflected light becomes perfectly polarised, with its electric field vibrating in only one direction. That angle is Brewster's angle.
The intuition: why does this happen?
Think of light as a transverse wave — its electric field oscillates perpendicular to the direction it travels. When light strikes a surface, the electrons in the material are forced to oscillate by the incoming wave. These oscillating electrons then re-radiate light, which is what we see as the reflected and transmitted (refracted) beams.
Now, an oscillating electron cannot radiate energy along the direction of its own oscillation. If the electron is jiggling up and down, it sends no light straight along the up-down axis. This is the key.
At a certain angle, the reflected ray and the refracted ray become perpendicular. At that exact geometry, the direction of the reflected ray coincides with the direction in which the electrons in the material would be oscillating (for one particular polarisation). Those electrons therefore cannot radiate in that direction — so that polarisation component is completely absent from the reflected beam. The reflected light then contains only the other polarisation component, making it perfectly plane-polarised.
The precise statement
Brewster's angle θB is the angle of incidence at which light reflected from a transparent medium is completely plane-polarised. It satisfies
tanθB=n
where n is the refractive index of the medium (relative to the incident medium, usually air with n≈1).
tanθB=n
At this angle, two conditions hold simultaneously:
- The reflected light is completely plane-polarised with its electric field perpendicular to the plane of incidence (i.e., parallel to the surface).
- The reflected ray and the refracted ray are perpendicular to each other.
The perpendicular-ray condition is a quick check: if you draw the reflected ray and the refracted ray, they form a right angle. This is equivalent to θB+θr=90∘, where θr is the angle of refraction. Using Snell's law n1sinθB=n2sinθr and θr=90∘−θB, you get tanθB=n2/n1.
Why the perpendicular condition is not a separate fact
The two results — polarisation and perpendicular rays — are actually the same physics. When the reflected and refracted rays are perpendicular, the reflected ray points exactly along the direction of the dipole oscillation that would be caused by the refracted ray's electric field. That oscillation cannot radiate along its own axis, so that polarisation is missing from the reflection. The perpendicular condition is the geometric expression of the polarisation condition.
A concrete example
For glass with n=1.5, Brewster's angle is …
Brewster's law states that when unpolarised light is incident on a transparent medium at a particular angle, called the polarizing (Brewster) angle θB, the reflected ray is completely (linearly) polarized, with its vibrations perpendicular to the plane of incidence; the law relates this angle to the refractive index of the medium by n=tanθB. At this angle, the reflected and refracted rays are perpendicular to …
Brewster's law gives the angle of incidence at which reflected light becomes completely polarized, and shows that this polarizing angle is related to the refractive index by n=tanθB, with the reflected and refracted rays perpendicular to each other at that angle.
Statement of Brewster's law
When a beam of unpolarised (ordinary) light is incident on the surface of a transparent refracting medium (such as glass) at a particular angle of incidence, called the polarizing angle or Brewster's angle θB, the light reflected from the surface is completely (linearly) polarized, with its electric field vibrations confined to a plane perpendicular to the plane of incidence. Brewster's law states that the tangent of this polarizing angle equals the refractive index of the medium:
n=tanθB
Explanation and the perpendicularity condition
At the Brewster angle, it is found experimentally (and can be shown using Snell's law) that the reflected ray and the refracted ray are exactly perpendicular to each other, i.e.
θB+θr=90∘
where θr is the angle of refraction. Using Snell's law, n=sinθrsinθB, and substituting θr=90∘−θB:
n=sin(90∘−θB)sinθB=cosθBsinθB=tanθB
which is exactly Brewster's law.
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- CBSE 2023Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.A ray of light is incident on a glass plate at an angle of 60 degrees. If the reflected and refracted rays are mutually perpendicular, then the refractive index of the material is(1) sqrt(3)/2(2) sqrt(3)(3) 1/sqrt(3)(4) 1/2
›Reveal solutionSolution
When the reflected and refracted rays are perpendicular, the angle of incidence is the Brewster angle, and the refractive index equals its tangent.
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- CBSE 2022Set HE2171 markQ.Match the following. Column A item: 'Brewester's Law'. Choose its matching entry from Column B:(a) (1 - D/f)(b) Hertz(c) Electromagnetic induction(d) (-v0/u0)(1 + D/fe)(e) V.I.(f) Hershel(g) Instrument of measuring current(h) Instrument of measuring potential(i) Polarisation of light(j) Unit of energy
›Reveal solutionSolution
Brewster's law, tanθB=n, is the condition under which reflected light is completely (linearly) polarised — matching option (i).
Brewster's law states that when unpolarised light strikes a transparent medium at a particular angle (the polarising or Brewster angle θB, where tanθB=n, the refractive index of the medium), the reflected ray is completely plane-polarised, wi …
- CBSE 2022Set ANNUAL1 markQ.Unpolarized light is incident on a plane glass surface of μ=1.5. What should be the angle of incidence so that the reflected and refracted rays are perpendicular to each other? OR Two slits are made 1 mm apart and the screen is placed 1 m away. What is the fringe separation when light of wavelength 500 nm is used?
›Reveal solutionSolution
The reflected and refracted rays are perpendicular exactly at the Brewster angle, where tanθB=μ; for μ=1.5 this is about 56.3∘. In the alternative, the double-slit fringe-width formula gives 0.5 mm.
Main part — Brewster's angle
When unpolarized light strikes a surface at the polarizing (Brewster) angle θB, the reflected ray is completely (plane) polarized and the reflected and refracted rays are exactly perpendicular. Using Snell's law μ=sinθB/sinθr together with the geometric condition θB+θr=90∘ (so θr=90∘−θB, sinθr=cosθB):
μ=cosθBsinθB=tanθB
This is Brewster's law. With μ=1.5:
θB=tan−1(1.5)≈56.3∘
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- CBSE 2022Set ANNUAL1 markQ.State Brewster's law.
›Reveal solutionSolution
At the Brewster angle, reflected light is completely plane-polarised, and tanθB=n.
Brewster's law states that when unpolarised light is incident on a transparent medium at a particular angle, called the Brewster angle or polarising angle θB, the reflected light is completely plane-polarised (with its electric vector perpendicular to the plane of incidence). This angle satisfies tanθB=n, where n is the refractive index of the medium on which light is incident (relative to the first medium). At this angle, the reflected ray and the re …
- CBSE 2020Set 55/3/11 markQ.The value of Brewster's angle for air-glass interface is 3π, hence the refractive index of glass is __________ .
›Reveal solutionSolution
Brewster's angle occurs when reflected and refracted rays are perpendicular; for θB=3π, the refractive index is tanθB, giving n=3.
When unpolarized light strikes a dielectric interface, the reflected light becomes partially polarized. At one special angle—Brewster's angle—the reflected light is completely polarized perpendicular to the plane of incidence. This happens because the reflected and refracted rays become perpendicular to each other, making it impossible for the electric field component in the plane of incidence to "drive" charges that would radiate a reflected wave in that polarization.
The mathematical consequence is beautifully simple: at Brewster's angle θB, the tangent of the angle equals the refractive index of the second medium (when the first is air, with n1≈1).
n=tanθB
This comes from combining Snell's law with the perpendicularity condition θB+θr=2π, where θr is the refraction angle.
Now we apply this to the given problem:
- Identify the given angle: Brewster's angle for the air-glass interface is θB=3π=60°. …
- CBSE 2020Set XS1 markMCQQ.If polarising angle is α and critical angle is β, then:(i) tanα×sinβ=1(ii) cotα×sinβ=1(iii) tanα×cosβ=1(iv) cotα×cosβ=1
›Reveal solutionSolution
tanα=μ and sinβ=1/μ, so their product is 1 (option i).
Polarising (Brewster) angle. For light polarised on reflection, Brewster's law gives
μ=tanα.
Critical angle. For total internal reflection,
sinβ=μ1.
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- CBSE 2019Set 55/1/11 markQ.What is the speed of light in a denser medium of polarising angle 30∘?
›Reveal solutionSolution
We use Brewster's Law, interpreting the polarizing angle to find the refractive index of the denser medium, and then use the definition of refractive index to calculate the speed of light. The speed of light in the denser medium is 1.732×108m/s.
Concept and Intuition
When unpolarized light is incident on the interface between two transparent media, the reflected light is completely plane-polarized if the angle of incidence is equal to the polarizing angle, also known as Brewster's angle (ip). At this specific angle, the reflected ray and the refracted ray are perpendicular to each other.
Brewster's Law states the relationship between the polarizing angle (ip) and the refractive index (n) of the denser medium relative to the rarer medium:
tanip=n
This formula is typically applied when light travels from a rarer medium (like air, with n≈1) to a denser medium (with n>1). For a denser medium, its refractive index n must be greater than 1. This implies that tanip must be greater than 1, which means the polarizing angle ip must be greater than 45∘.
Watch outIf a problem states a "denser medium" but gives a polarizing angle ip<45∘ (like 30∘ in this question), using n=tanip would result in n<1. A refractive index less than 1 implies the medium is optically rarer than the incident medium (e.g., air), which contradicts the "denser medium" description. In such cases, it is conventionally understood that the refractive index of the denser medium is given by n=cotip. This interpretation ensures that n>1 for ip<45∘, making the problem physically consistent with a denser medium. This is equivalent to considering the polarizing angle for light travelling from the denser medium to the rarer medium.
Once the refractive index (n) of the medium is determined, the speed of light (v) in that medium can be found using the fundamental definition of refractive index:
The refractive index n of a medium is the ratio of the speed of light in vacuum (c) to the speed of light in the medium (v):
n=vc
The speed of light in vacuum, c, is approximately 3×108m/s.
Step-by-step Solution
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Identify the given information and the goal.
We are given the polarizing angle ip=30∘.
We need to find the speed of light in the denser medium, v.
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Determine the refractive index of the denser medium. …
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- CBSE 2019Set ANNUAL1 markQ.For which angle of incidence reflected ray is completely polarised?
›Reveal solutionSolution
Reflected light is fully polarised at Brewster's (polarising) angle, defined by taniB=μ.
Concept. When unpolarised light reflects off a transparent surface, the reflected beam is partially polarised in general, but at one special angle it becomes completely plane-polarised (with vibrations perpendicular to the plane of incidence).
Brewster's law. At this angle the reflected and refracted rays are perpendicular to each other, giving …
- CBSE 2019Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.If polarising angle is α and critical angle is β, then(a) tanα = sinβ(b) cotα = sinβ(c) tanα = cosβ(d) cotα = cosβ
›Reveal solutionSolution
tanα = μ (Brewster) and sinβ = 1/μ (critical angle) ⇒ cotα = sinβ: option (b).
By Brewster's law, at the polarising angle α the refractive index is
μ = tanα.
By the definition of the critical angle β,
sinβ = 1/μ.
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- CBSE 2018Set ANNUAL1 markQ.The refractive index of a medium is sqrt(3). When light travels from air to that medium, the Brewster angle will be ____. (Fill in the blank)
›Reveal solutionSolution
Brewster angle: tan(theta_B) = n = sqrt(3), giving theta_B = 60 degrees.
Brewster's law gives the polarising angle at which light reflected from a surface is completely plane-polarised:
tanθB=n
Step 1 — Substitute the refractive index: tanθB=3.
Step 2 — θB=tan−1(3)=60∘.
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- CBSE 2017Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The refractive index of the medium, for the polarising angle 60° is :(a) 1.732(b) 1.414(c) 1.5(d) 1.468
›Reveal solutionSolution
Brewster's law gives n=tanθp, and tan60°=3≈1.732.
When unpolarised light strikes the boundary of a transparent medium at a particular angle of incidence, called the polarising angle (or Brewster's angle) θp, the reflected ray is found to be completely plane-polarised, with its electric vector oscillating perpendicular to the plane of incidence. Brewster discovered empirically (and it can be derived from the condition that the reflected and refracted rays are then exactly perpendicular to each other) that the refractive index of the medium is related to this angle by
n=tanθp.
This follows from combining Snell's law, n=sinθrsinθp, with the geometric condition θp+θr=90° (reflected and refracted rays perpendicular), which gives sinθr=sin(90°−θp)=cosθp, so n=cosθpsinθp=tanθp.
Substituting θp=60°:
n=tan60°=3≈1.732.
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- CBSE 2016Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.If θ is the polarizing angle, then the refractive index of the materials is(a) sinθ(b) cosθ(c) tanθ(d) cotθ
›Reveal solutionSolution
Brewster's law: n=tanθp, where θp is the polarizing (Brewster) angle.
When unpolarized light is incident on a transparent medium at a particular angle of incidence — the polarizing angle (or Brewster's angle) θp — the reflected light is found to be completely (linearly) polarized, with its plane of vibration perpendicular to the plane of incidence. At this angle, the reflected and refracted rays are perpendicular to each other (θp+r=90∘).
Applying Snell's law, n=sinrsinθp, and using r=90∘−θp so sinr=sin(90∘−θp)=cosθp:
n=cosθpsinθp=tanθp
This relation is known as Brewster's law.
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