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AP Physics 2
13.3 Refraction
IntermediateMCQConceptual14.1k
Light ray in glass incident on a flat boundary with a surrounding medium.
Light ray in glass incident on a flat boundary with a surrounding medium.
A light ray inside a glass block (\(n_{\text{glass}} = 1.50\)) approaches a flat interface with an external medium. When the glass is surrounded by air (\(n_{\text{air}} = 1.00\)), the critical angle for total internal reflection is \(\theta_{\text{air}}\). When the glass block is instead submerged in water (\(n_{\text{water}} = 1.33\)), the critical angle for total internal reflection becomes \(\theta_{\text{water}}\). Which of the following correctly compares \(\theta_{\text{water}}\) to \(\theta_{\text{air}}\) and provides the correct physical justification?

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