A Project Report

On
Total Internal Reflection

Department of science
Janajyoti Vidyamandir
Ghorahi-15, Dang

Submitted by : Submitted to :
______________ _________________
Class - XI Lecturer in Physics
 Certificate
This is to certify that the investigatory Project Report
entitled “Total Internal Reflection” submitted by………..,
student of Class XI has been completed under my supervision.
_______________
Mukunda Kumar Dahal
( Lecturer in Physics)
 Contents
1. Certificate
2. Introduction
3. Total Internal Reflection
4. Conditions for Total Internal Reflection
5. Relation between refractive index (µ) and critical angle (C)
6. Applications of Total Internal Reflection
7. Uses
8. Bibliography
Introduction

Whenever a ray of incident light travels from one medium to another, its
path is changed i.e. it gets refracted. If the ray travels from denser
medium to rarer medium, it suffers deviation away from the normal at
the point of incidence. As the angle of incidence is increased, the angle
of refraction also keeps on increasing. At a certain angle of incidence,
called the critical angle, the refracted ray grazes along the surface of
separation i.e. angle of refraction becomes just go. If the angle of
incidence is further increased, no refraction takes place. Instead such a
ray gets reflection inside the medium itself. This phenomenon is called
total internal reflection.

Refraction :

The phenomenon of bending of light when it come from one medium to

another medium is called refraction.

Reflection :

The phenomenon in which a ray comes from one medium and bending
of that ray in same medium i.e. Total Internal Reflection takes place
called reflection.
 Total Internal Reflection

Total internal reflection is the phenomenon of reflection of light

which occurs when a ray of light traveling in a denser medium is
incident at the interfere of the two media at an angle greater than
the critical angle for that pair of media.

As the angle of incidence increases, the angle of refraction also

increases. For a particular angle of incidence, the angle of
refraction becomes (as in diagram b) 900 and the refracted ray
grazes the surface separating the two media. This angle of
incidence is called the ‘critical angle’ and is defined for a pair of
media. If the angle of incidence is increased beyond this critical
angle, the ray is not refracted but gets reflected as shown in
diagram (c). Then, the entire incident light is reflected back into
the denser medium. This phenomenon is called the total internal
reflection.
 Conditions for Total Internal Reflection
1. The ray incident on the interface should travel in optically
denser medium.
2. The angle of incidence should be greater than the critical
angle for the given pair of media.

Relation between refractive index () and critical angle (C)

When refraction takes place at point C, it follows that the

refractive index of medium a w.r.t. medium b is given by
sini
bµa= sinr
sinr
µ = sini
a b

if i = c (critical angle)
r = 90o, then
sin 90 1
aµb = sinC = sinC

Hence, Refractive index is inversely proportional to sin of

critical angle.
 Applications of Total Internal Reflection

1. Totally Reflection Prism :

To deviate a ray of light through 90o and 180o.
A right angled isosceles prism can be used to cause total internal
reflection. In such a right angled prism when a ray of light is
incident normally to its face AB, it passes into prism as
incidence is 45o. But for glass (), the value of critical
angle is about 41.8o. Since the value of incident angle is greater
than the critical angle for glass, the ray of right suffers total
internal refection. As a result, it gets incident on the force AC at
90o and comes out of the prism as such. It follows that the path
of the ray of right was been deviated by the prism through 90o.
The path of a ray undergoing a deviation of 90 o due to one
internal reflection but in same way and by same process due to
two internal reflection, a ray can be deviated through 180 o. This
arrangement is used in prism-binoculars.

2. Mirage :
It is an optical illusion observed in desert in a hot day. The
object such as tree is observed inverted and observer gets an
impression that there is a pool of water. This phenomena is
known as mirage. Due to intense heat, the surface of earth
becomes quite hot and the temperature of air near the surface of
earth is max. The temp of the other layers of the air goes on
decreasing as one goes up. Dimity as well as refractive index of
air increases slightly for higher layers. Thus a ray of light
traveling from point O of a tree passes through air of gradually
decreasing refractive index and is therefore refracted more and
more away from the normal and accordingly the angle of
incidence goes on increasing. At a layer, when the angle of
incidence becomes greater than the critical angle, total internal
reflection takes place. Then the ray of light starts traversing
layers of increasing refractive index and goes on bending more
and more towards the normal. Ultimately, when the ray reaches
the eye of the observer, it appears to be coming from the point I.
Hence the inverted image of the tree produces the impression of
reflection from a pool of water.

3. Brilliance of Diamonds and Other Precious Stones :

Diamond shines very brightly because it has a very high
refractive index and very low critical angle i.e. = 2.47 & C = 23 0
Due to low critical angle, a diamond cut so as to have a large
number of faces, such that a ray of light entering it from one
face undergoes repeated total internal reflections from other
faces. As a result, the faces through which the light emerges,
shine very brilliantly.

4. Optical Fibres :
In 1870, John Tyndall, a British physicist demonstrated that
light could be made to follow curved path along a thin stream of
water coming out of a water tank. This effect was made use of
an illuminated fountains. The light follows curved path it suffers
a series of total internal reflections.
5. Looming :

It is an optical illusion observed in the cold countries. In which

observers get an impression that object is placed in air.

Uses
i) Optical fibres are used inn the field of communication and the
computers.
ii) The optical fibres are used for making medical investigation.
iii) The optical fibre sensors have been used to measure
temperature and pressure.
iv) The optical are used for transmitting the optical signals and
the two dimensional pictures.
v) The optical fibre in the form of photometric sensors are used
for measuring the blood flow in the heart.
vi) The optical fibre in the form of refract meters are used to
determine the refractive indices of liquids.
vii) Optical fibre are used in telephone and other transmitting
cables.
viii) Optical fibre are used in transmission and reception of
electrical signals by converting them first into light signal.

Bibliography
1. Comprehensive Physics Heritage publication.
2. principle of Physics Asmita Publication.
3. Wikipedia