Reflection and Refraction - GRE Subject Test: Physics
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Question
A beam of light travels through a medium with index of refraction 
until it reaches an interface with another material, with index of refraction 
. No light is transmitted into the second material. At what angle (measured from the plane of the interface between the two materials) does the beam hit the second material?
A beam of light travels through a medium with index of refraction
Answer
Total internal reflection occurs at the angle:
However, this angle is measured from a line normal to the plane of the interface; the angle we want, therefore, is 
, which is 
.
Total internal reflection occurs at the angle:
However, this angle is measured from a line normal to the plane of the interface; the angle we want, therefore, is
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