7.

05: Total internal reflection

Textbook: 148 - 149
Objective
Defining: Critical angle & Total internal reflection
Reflecting prisms
Optical fibres

Critical angle:
 The angle at which the ray passes along the plane.
 The angle of incidence (less dense to more dense) or
angle of refraction (more dense to less dense) is 90°.

Total internal reflection:

When the angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle, the ray
will get reflected back into the same medium called total internal
reflection.

 Total internal reflection occurs due to two reasons,

 Angle of incidence should be greater than the
critical angle.
 The light ray must travel from more dense to less
dense medium.
Reflecting prisms:
 In the below examples, the inside faces of prisms are being used
as mirrors.
 Total internal reflection occurs because the angle of incidence on
the face (45°) is greater than the critical angle for glass or acrylic
plastic.
Optical fibres:
Optical fibre are very thin, flexible rods made of special glass or
transparent plastic.
Light out in one end is total internally reflected until it comes out of the
other end.
 Uses of total internal reflection

1. Telecommunication: High speed data transfer.

2. In medical fields: Extensive use in medicine (endoscopes, inside-body

flexible cameras)