Join the Most Relevant JEE Main 2025 Test Series & get 99+ percentile! Join Now
Search any question & find its solution
Question: Answered & Verified by Expert
A ray of light is incident on the hypotenuse of a right-angled prism after travelling parallel to the base inside the prism. If $\mu$ is the refractive index of the material of the prism, the maximum value of the base angle for which light is totally reflected from the hypotenuse is
PhysicsRay OpticsTS EAMCETTS EAMCET 2003
Options:
  • A $\sin ^{-1}\left(\frac{1}{\mu}\right)$
  • B $\tan ^{-1}\left(\frac{1}{\mu}\right)$
  • C $\sin ^{-1}\left(\frac{\mu-1}{\mu}\right)$
  • D $\cos ^{-1}\left(\frac{1}{\mu}\right)$
Solution:
1967 Upvotes Verified Answer
The correct answer is: $\cos ^{-1}\left(\frac{1}{\mu}\right)$
For total internal reflection,
$\mu=\frac{1}{\sin C}$
$\mu=\frac{1}{\sin \left(90^{\circ}-\theta\right)}$


$\mu=\frac{1}{\cos \theta} \Rightarrow \cos \theta=\frac{1}{\mu}$
$\theta=\cos ^{-1}\left(\frac{1}{\mu}\right)$

Looking for more such questions to practice?

Download the MARKS App - The ultimate prep app for IIT JEE & NEET with chapter-wise PYQs, revision notes, formula sheets, custom tests & much more.