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Light and sound

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Question 12

The diagram shows a light ray passing through a semicircular block of glass.

A semicircular glass block with its flat surface horizontal at the top. A vertical dashed line represents the normal line at the midpoint X of the flat surface. An incident light ray travels from the bottom-left through the curved boundary of the semicircle directly to point X, making an angle of 48 degrees with the normal line and pointing towards X. From X, the light ray is completely reflected downwards and to the right, back into the glass block, making an angle \theta with the normal line and pointing away from X.

The dotted line is the normal to the surface at XXX. When the light ray hits the flat surface at XXX, all of it is reflected back inside.

a.

Name the process shown in the diagram.

[1]
b.

What is the value of the angle labelled θ\thetaθ?

[1]
c.

The diagram below shows another light ray entering a different right-angled glass prism. It hits the inside of the slanted surface at Z Z\,Z as shown.

A right-angled triangular glass prism with a horizontal bottom face, a vertical left face, and a slanted hypotenuse. The bottom-left angle is 90 degrees, and the other two internal angles are 45 degrees. A horizontal light ray enters the vertical left face normally and travels straight to the slanted hypotenuse, striking it at Z. A dashed perpendicular normal line at Z shows the incident angle is 45 degrees.

Describe to complete the path of this ray as it passes through and exits the prism.

[3]

Light and sound Questions

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  3. /Light and sound