A ray of light traveling in a calm pond strikes the surface at an angle of incidence which is 2$\degree$ larger than the critical angle. This ray will
A) be refracted away from the normal to the surface in the air.
B) undergo total internal reflection and not enter the air at all.
C) be refracted toward the normal to the surface in the air.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Since the angle of incidence is larger than the critical angle, the ray will undergo total internal reflection and not enter the air at all. This is because the critical angle is the angle at which the refracted angle would be 90 degrees, meaning that the light would be refracted along the surface of the water. Since the angle of incidence is larger than this, all the light will reflect back into the water in a process called total internal reflection.

A Ray of Light Traveling in a Calm Pond Strikes °\degree°

A Ray of Light Traveling in a Calm Pond Strikes $\degree$