total internal reflection Flashcards
what is total internal reflection?
when a light ray travels from a denser material to a less dense materials it can be reflected in the denser medium with no refracted ray
what are optical fibres?
drawn out glass or plastic where signals such as light as transmitted through via total internal reflection
what is the critical angle?
the angle of incidence above which total internal reflection occurs
how can critical angle be calculated?
sin(c)= 1/n
what 2 conditions does total internal reflection need to occur?
denser to less dense material and the angle of incidence must be greater than the critical angle of the object
what happens when light enters an optical fibre?
it bends towards the normal as the fibre is denser than air- the light then travels down the fibre as the fibre is denser than air via total internal reflection