Chapter 34: Q. 20 (page 990)
To a fish in an aquarium, the -thick walls appear to be only thick. What is the index of refraction of the walls?
Short Answer
The index of refraction of the walls is
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Chapter 34: Q. 20 (page 990)
To a fish in an aquarium, the -thick walls appear to be only thick. What is the index of refraction of the walls?
The index of refraction of the walls is
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Shows a light ray that travels from point A to point B. The ray crosses the boundary at position x, making angles and in the two media. Suppose that you did not know Snell鈥檚 law.
A. Write an expression for the time t it takes the light ray to travel from A to B. Your expression should be in terms of the distances a, b, and w; the variable x; and the indices of refraction n1 and n2
B. The time depends on x. There鈥檚 one value of x for which the light travels from A to B in the shortest possible time. We鈥檒l call it . Write an expression (but don鈥檛 try to solve it!) from which could be found.
C. Now, by using the geometry of the figure, derive Snell鈥檚 law from your answer to part b.
You鈥檝e proven that Snell鈥檚 law is equivalent to the statement that 鈥渓ight traveling between two points follows the path that requires the shortest time.鈥 This interesting way of thinking about refraction is called Fermat鈥檚 principle.

A light ray in air is incident on a transparent material whose index of refraction is .
a. Find an expression for the (non-zero) angle of incidence whose angle of refraction is half the angle of incidence.
b. Evaluate your expression for light incident on glass.
A -tall diver is standing completely submerged on the bottom of a swimming pool full of water. You are sitting on the end of the diving board, almost directly over her. How tall does the diver appear to be?
The glass core of an optical fiber has an index of refraction. The index of refraction of the cladding is. What is the maximum angle a light ray can make with the wall of the core if it is to remain inside the fiber?
A thin glass rod is submerged in oil. What is the critical angle for light traveling inside the rod?
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