Question

An incident ray strikes a boundary at a 72.5-degree angle, resulting in an angle of refraction of 39.6 degrees. The index of refraction of the first medium is 1.0003.
What is medium 1?


What is medium 2?

Answer 1

Answer:

medium 1 = air

medium 2 = Lucite

Explanation:

Part a)

here the refractive index of first medium is 1.0003

so from the given table this is the refractive index of air

so medium 1 is AIR

Part b)

As per law of refraction we know that

$n_1sin\theta_1 = n_2 sin\theta_2$

here we know that

$n_1 = 1.0003$

$\theta_1 = 72.5$

$\theta_2 = 39.6$

now from Snell's law we will have

$1.0003 sin(72.5) = n_2 sin39.6$

so we have

$n_2 = \frac{1.0003(sin72.5)}{sin39.6}$

so we have

$n_2 = 1.50$

so medium 2 is LUCITE

Answer 2

Medium 1: Air
Medium 2: Lucite