Practice Quiz

MTEL Technology and Engineering

Category - Tech and Engineering

Start a Study Session Sign up for Question of the Day
An optical cable has a critical angle of 40°. Which of the following best describes rays of light that strike the internal wall of the cable at angles closer than this to perpendicular?
  1. They are scattered.
  2. They are partially reflected.
  3. They are dispersed.
  4. They are totally reflected.
Explanation
Correct Response: B. At angles less than the critical angle, all of the light is refracted back into the interior of the cable. This phenomenon is known as total internal reflection. If the angle is larger than the critical angle (closer to perpendicular), some of the light escapes and there is only partial internal reflection. Hence, there is not total reflection (D). The light rays do however continue in straight lines. They are neither scattered (A) nor dispersed (C).
Previous Next
Was this helpful? Upvote!
Login to contribute your own answer or details
Start a Study Session Sign up for Question of the Day

Top questions

Related questions

Most popular on PracticeQuiz