Skip to content

Find Critical Angle

Home arrow Physics Tools arrow Optics arrow Find Critical Angle


Find Critical Angle E-mail
User Rating: / 0
PoorBest 
Use this simple tool to solve physics problem related to critical angle condition for reflection. You can use this tool for light ray passes from a one medium to another to find the critical angle. Simply enter the index of refraction for each medium.
Physics Tools - Find Critical Angle using Snell's Law Physics Tools for optics - Find Critical Angle using Snell's Law
Use this simple tool to solve physics problem related to critical angle condition for reflection. You can use this tool for light ray passes from a one medium to another to find the critical angle. Simply enter the index of refraction for each medium.
 
When light is incident upon a medium of lesser index of refraction, the ray is bent away from the normal, so the exit angle is greater than the incident angle. Such reflection is commonly called "internal reflection". The exit angle will then approach 90° for some critical incident angle Θc, and for incident angles greater than the critical angle there will be total internal reflection.
Threshold condition for total internal reflection
Threshold condition for total internal reflection.


The critical angle can be calculated from Snell's law by setting the refraction angle equal to 90°.
Snell's Law
Snell's Law

Critical Angle
Critical Angle

Condition for total reflection
For total internal reflection , Incident angle > Critical angle
Medium where light coming form must have higher index of refraction compared to second medium ( ni > nt)
For any angle of incidence less than the critical angle, part of the incident light will be transmitted and part will be reflected.

Variable definitions used in this explanation
n1 = ni = index of refraction of medium where light coming from
n2 = nt = index of refraction of the second medium
Θc = Critical angle
Θi = Θ1 = Incident angle
Θt = Θ2 = Transmittance angle = Exit angle

Use this tool to find Critical Angle
Reflectance of light between two medium for various angles
Reflectance of light between two medium for various angles.
 
[ Back ]