Physics
Mention one difference between the reflection of light from a plane mirror and total internal reflection of light from a prism.
Answer
| Plane mirror | Prism |
|---|---|
| In reflection of light from a plane mirror, only a part of the light is reflected while rest is refracted and absorbed. So, the reflection is partial. | In total internal reflection of light from a prism, the entire incident light is reflected back into the denser medium. So there is no loss of light energy. |
Related Questions
The table below gives refractive inidices of some substances with respect to air.
Substance Refractive Index (μ) Water 1.33 Turpentine 1.47 Glass 1.58 Diamond 2.41 (a) Which medium will have the lowest critical angle and which will have highest critical angle with respect to air.
(b) If the temperature of all the substances is raised by 30o C, what will happen to their critical angle?
State one advantage of using a total reflecting prism as a reflector in place of a plane mirror.
Explain the term critical angle with the aid of a labelled diagram.