TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION

and the
CRITICAL ANGLE
 TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION

The inside surface of water or a glass

block can act like a mirror.
 Total Internal Reflection
Occurs when light reflects
off of the inside wall of a
denser medium (higher
index of refraction)
 Total Internal Reflection
Recall:
• When light passes
from a dense material
into a less dense
medium, light reflects
away from the normal
 Total Internal Reflection

As the angle
of incidence
increases,
the angle of
refraction
increases
 Critical Angle
• At a certain angle, the
refracted ray follows a
path exactly along the
surface of the dense
medium
• When the angle of
refraction is at 90o
the incident angle is
called the “critical
angle”
 Critical Angle

• Critical angle is the angle at which

the refracted ray is at 90o
 Critical Angle determines
Total Internal Reflection

• If the incident ray is increased beyond the

critical angle, the light is no longer refracted
• Instead, it is reflected back inside the medium
• This is called “total internal reflection”
• When incident angle is greater than the critical
angle (i>C), there is no refracted rays, all
emergent rays are internally reflected
TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION

A light ray hits the inside face of a

semicircular block.
 Total Internal Reflection
• A light ray hits the inside face of a
semicircular block as follows.
• What will happen as the angle of
incidence increases?
refracted ray
air
glass

incident ray reflected ray

Total Internal Reflection

refracted ray
air
glass

incident ray reflected ray

Total Internal Reflection

refracted ray
air
glass

incident ray reflected ray

Total Internal Reflection

refracted ray
air
glass

incident ray reflected ray

Total Internal Reflection

air
glass

incident ray reflected ray

Total Internal Reflection
refracted ray
air
glass

What incident ray reflected ray

happened?
air
glass

incident ray reflected ray

 Total Internal Reflection
At a small angle of incidence:
• Incident ray splits into refracted & reflected
• Angle of refraction < 90o
• Angle of reflection = angle of incidence

refracted ray
air
glass

incident ray reflected ray

 Total Internal Reflection
As the angle of incidence increases, the
angle of refraction increases until…

refracted ray
air
glass

incident ray reflected ray

 Total Internal Reflection
• Angle of refraction is at 90o, parallel to the
surface of the medium
• At this point the angle of incidence = critical
angle (C)
• Angle of incidence = C when angle of
refraction = 90o
refracted ray
air
glass

incident ray reflected ray

 Total Internal Reflection
• As the angle of incidence increase beyond the
critical angle (>C), there is no more refracted ray
• All emergent rays are totally reflected inside the
medium = Total Internal Reflection (TIR)

air
glass

incident ray reflected ray

 Conditions for TIR & Critical Angle
• Light is traveling slower in the first medium than in the
second medium (v1 < v2)
• Thus light is moving from medium of higher refractive
index to one of lower refractive index (n1 > n2)
• Critical angle (C) is defined when the angle of refraction
is 90o to the normal (θ 2 = 90o)
• TIR occurs when angle of incidence is larger than the
critical angle (θ 1 > C)

air
glass

incident ray reflected ray

 Calculating Critical Angle
• Snell’s Law: n1 sinθ 1 = n2 sinθ 2
• Critical angle C = θ 1 thus solve for θ 1

At the critical angle, the refracted ray is a 90o = θ 2

• n1 sinθ 1 = n2 sin90o (sin90o = 1)
R = θ2
• n1 sinθ 1 = n2 1 air refracted ray

• n1 sinθ 1 = n2 glass
C = θ1 r
Rearrange equation to get:
• sinθ 1 = n2 / n1
incident ray reflected ray
∀ θ 1 = sin-1 (n2 / n1)

If medium 2 = air, then n2 = 1

∀ θ 1 = sin-1 (1 / n1)
• C = sin-1 (1 / n1)
 TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION
• critical angles of different materials

Refractive Critical
Medium index angle
Glass 1.50–1.70 30°–42°
Water 1.33 49°
Perspex 1.5 42°
Diamond 2.42 24°
TIR in Diamonds
Sparkling is due to:
2. Cut of diamond faces
3. High index of refraction which means a very
small critical angle (n = 2.42, C = 24.4°)
Incident rays can undergo multiple TIR inside a
diamond before exiting the top of the diamond.
 TIR in Fiber Optics

• Technology that uses light to

transmit information along
glass cables
• Fibre optics cable is made
up of a bundle of glass fibres
• Sample materials: high-
purity glass, Lucite
 TIR in Fiber Optics

• Fiber optics cable has a small critical angle,

thus a high refractive index
• Light entering will always have an angle of
incidence greater than the critical angle
TIR in Fiber Optics
Light does not escape
as it travels along the
fiber optics cable
because it undergoes
total internal reflection

http://ecademy.agnesscott.edu/~asullivan/Pictures/TIR.jpg
TIR in Fiber Optics
 TIR in Fiber Optics
Advantages of Fiber Optics
• Signals are not affected by
electrical storms.
• Cable is smaller and lighter
than copper cable.
• More signals can be carried
over longer distances.
Fiber Optics in
Endoscopes

• An endoscope
is a flexible fibre
optic cable
through which
internal cavities
can be viewed.
• Routinely used
in the diagnosis
of cancer and
ulcers.

http://marylandcolonoscopy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/CDR0000433287.jpg
• Endoscopy examination of a
stomach
• Endoscope inserted through the
patient's mouth and fed down
through throat
• Image obtained by endoscope is
projected onto a screen
• A surgical instrument for
obtaining a biopsy has been fed
through the endoscope cable
and controlled by the doctor

Gastroscopy http://www.sciencephoto.com/media/272329/enlarge
Digestive Endoscopy

•http://www.sciencephoto.com/media/126772/enlarge
 Doctors using a fibroscope to investigate suspected
lung cancer in a patient's bronchi (airways). A
fibroscope is a flexible fibre optic cable with a camera
on the end, similar to an endoscope.

Diagnosing Cancer
Photographed in Belgium. http://www.sciencephoto.com/media/137299/enlarge
 TIR in Prisms
• Plane mirror = glass + silvered surface
• multiple reflection inside the glass
• multiple images formed
• nuisance in optical instruments

Object I1 I2 I3

glass
sheet silvered surface
Prisms
• If light rays strike the inside 45°
face at an angle > 42°,
glass prism behaves like a 45°
perfect mirror. 45°
• Prisms are more useful
than mirrors because it
reflects almost 100% of
light internally. Mirrors lose 45°
some light through
absorption. 45°
• Emergent can be 90o or
45°
180o relative to incident ray.
 Prisms in Periscopes
• Instrument for observation from a concealed
position
• Uses two triangular prisms (or mirrors) to change
direction of light by 90o
• Used in war and in submarines
 In War
• Land Periscope
used by a German
Staff Officer during
1914
• Lens was sixteen
feet above the
ground, protecting
the officer from
enemy
observation.

http://www.historyofwar.org/Pictures/pictures_periscope_land.html
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/i02000/i02649.jpg
 Submarines
• American
submarine
commander
inspects the
horizon
through the
periscope
(1942)

http://mg-34.com/index.php/photo-19391945/1574-the-commander-of-the-submarines-periscope-looks
Submarines carry all kinds of extendable devices in their
sail which allow them to sense above the ocean's
surface. This shows a deployed periscope (on left) and
other electronic surveillance and communications probes.

http://web.mst.edu/~rogersda/military_service/periscopes.jpg
 Prisms in Binoculars
• Uses 2 prisms to change direction of light
by 180o
 Prisms in Single-lens Camera
• A five-sided ‘pentaprism’ reflects light from
the mirror into the eye.

film
mirror
 Prisms and Retro-reflectors

45°
45°
45°

• Device that returns incident light back in

exactly the same direction from which it came
• Applications in bike reflectors, reflective strip
on clothing, road signs
 Practice Problems
E
A ray of light traveling in
the direction EO in air 30°
enters a rectangular block O
at an angle of incidence =
30°. The resulting angle
of refraction = 18°. 18°

a. Find the refractive index

n of the block.
 Practice Problems
Given: θ 1 = 30°, θ 2 = 18°, n1 (air) = 1 E
Required: n2 (block) 30°
O
Analysis: n1 sinθ 1 = n2 sinθ 2

Solution: 18°
1 x sin 30° = n2 sin 18°
n2 = sin 30° / sin 18° = 1.62

Phrase:
The index of refraction of the block is 1.62
 Practice Problems
b. Find the critical angle C for the block.
E
30°
O

18°

Recall: If medium 2 = air, then

C = θ 1 = sin-1 (1 / n1)
 Practice Problems
b. Find the critical angle C for the block.
E
Given: θ2 = 90°, n2 (air) = 1, n1 (block) = 1.62 30°
Required: θ 1 O
Analysis: n1 sinθ 1 = n2 sinθ 2

Solution: 18°
1.62 x sin θ 1 = 1 x sin 90°
sin θ 1 = 1 / 1.62
Recall: If medium 2 = air, then
θ 1 = sin-1 (1 / 1.62) = 38.1°
C = θ 1 = sin-1 (1 / n1)
Phrase:
The critical angle of the block is 38.1°
 Practice Problems
c. If the ray is incident on surface BC, from
which surface and at what angle will the ray
leave the block? D C
30°

A B
 Practice Problems
c. If the ray is incident on surface BC, from which surface and
at what angle will the ray leave the block?

Given: D C
θ1 = 60° 30°
n1 (air) = 1
n2 (block) = 1.62

Required: θ2

Analysis: A B
n1 sinθ 1 = n2 sinθ 2

Solution:
1 x sin 60° = 1.62 x sin θ2
sin θ2 = 1 x sin 60° / 1.62
θ2 = sin-1 (1 x sin 60° / 1.62) = 32.3°
 Practice Problems
c. If the ray is incident on surface BC, from which surface and
at what angle will the ray leave the block?
Recall:
Angle of incidence = 60o D C
Angle of refraction = 32.3o 30°
Critical angle = 38.1o

60° 32.3°
57.7°
32.3°
Draw refracted ray2.
A B
Measure angle of ray2 hitting block. Angle is greater than critical angle of
38.1o thus ray3 will reflect. Draw ray3 following Law of Reflection.
Measure angle of ray3. Since it is the same angle as ray2, it will refract
out at the same angle. Thus ray4 refracts at 60o from surface AD.
 Practice Problems
Which of the following angles is the critical
angle of glass?
A B

C D
 Practice Problems
Which of the following angles is the critical
angle of glass?
A B

C D
 Practice Problems
• A horizontal light ray hits a
prism as shown. 45°
• What happens to the light
ray?

A B C
 Practice Problems
• A horizontal light ray hits a
prism as shown. 45°
• What happens to the light
ray?

A B C