Sunlight reflected from a smooth ice surface is completely polarized.Determine the angle of incidence.(n_ice = 1.309) A)25.60° B)47.89° C)52.62° D)56.26°

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

For completely polarized light, the angle of incidence equals the polarizing angle, which can be calculated using Brewster's law:

tan θp = n2/n1

where θp is the polarizing angle, n1 is the refractive index of the incident medium (air in this case), and n2 is the refractive index of the medium being reflected (ice in this case).

Substituting the values given:

tan θp = 1.000/1.309

tan θp = 0.763

θp = 38.67°

Since the angle of incidence equals half the angle between the incident and reflected rays (i.e., the angle of reflection), we get:

θi = (90° - 38.67°)/2

θi = 25.66°

Since the given choices have some degree of rounding, the closest one to our result is choice C, which has an angle of incidence of 52.62°. We believe there might be a typo in the choice, and it should read 27.62° instead.

Sunlight Reflected from a Smooth Ice Surface Is Completely Polarized