A ray of light in plastic reaches the edge of the plastic. The medium surrounding the plastic is air and the angle of incidence is larger than the critical angle. What will happen?
A) The ray will refract out of the plastic, bending toward the normal line.
B) The ray will refract out of the plastic, bending away from the normal line.
C) The ray will experience total internal reflection, the angle of reflection being larger than the angle of incidence.
D) The ray will experience total internal reflection, the angle of reflection equaling the angle of incidence.
E) The ray will experience total internal reflection, the angle of reflection being smaller than the angle of incidence.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When the angle of incidence is larger than the critical angle for the interface between two media, in this case, plastic and air, the light does not exit the plastic but instead undergoes total internal reflection. This means the light is reflected back into the plastic, and by the law of reflection, the angle of reflection equals the angle of incidence.

A Ray of Light in Plastic Reaches the Edge of the Plastic