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A ray of light is incident on a medium a...

A ray of light is incident on a medium at an angle i. It is found that the reflected ray is at right angles to the refracted ray . The refractive index of the medium is given by

A

`sini`

B

`cosi`

C

`tan i`

D

cosec `i`

Text Solution

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The correct Answer is:
To solve the problem step by step, we will analyze the situation involving the incident ray, reflected ray, and refracted ray, and apply Snell's law. ### Step-by-Step Solution: 1. **Understanding the Geometry**: - A ray of light is incident on a medium at an angle \( i \). - The reflected ray is at right angles (90 degrees) to the refracted ray. 2. **Identifying Angles**: - Let \( r \) be the angle of reflection. According to the law of reflection, the angle of incidence \( i \) is equal to the angle of reflection \( r \). Therefore, \( r = i \). 3. **Setting Up the Angle Relationship**: - Since the reflected ray and the refracted ray are at right angles to each other, we can express this relationship mathematically. - If we consider the angles around the point where the rays meet, we can write: \[ i + 90^\circ + r = 180^\circ \] - This simplifies to: \[ i + r = 90^\circ \] 4. **Expressing the Angle of Reflection**: - From the equation \( i + r = 90^\circ \), we can express \( r \) in terms of \( i \): \[ r = 90^\circ - i \] 5. **Applying Snell's Law**: - Snell's law states that: \[ n_1 \sin(i) = n_2 \sin(r) \] - Here, \( n_1 \) is the refractive index of air (which is approximately 1), and \( n_2 \) is the refractive index of the medium we are trying to find. - Substituting \( n_1 = 1 \) and \( r = 90^\circ - i \): \[ \sin(i) = n_2 \sin(90^\circ - i) \] 6. **Using the Trigonometric Identity**: - We know from trigonometric identities that: \[ \sin(90^\circ - i) = \cos(i) \] - Therefore, we can rewrite the equation as: \[ \sin(i) = n_2 \cos(i) \] 7. **Solving for the Refractive Index**: - Rearranging the equation gives us: \[ n_2 = \frac{\sin(i)}{\cos(i)} \] - This simplifies to: \[ n_2 = \tan(i) \] 8. **Final Result**: - Thus, the refractive index of the medium is: \[ \mu = \tan(i) \] ### Conclusion: The refractive index of the medium is given by \( \mu = \tan(i) \). ---

To solve the problem step by step, we will analyze the situation involving the incident ray, reflected ray, and refracted ray, and apply Snell's law. ### Step-by-Step Solution: 1. **Understanding the Geometry**: - A ray of light is incident on a medium at an angle \( i \). - The reflected ray is at right angles (90 degrees) to the refracted ray. ...
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