Practice MCAT Question - Q8 - Answer!
Light is incident on a prism at an angle of 90° relative to its surface. The index of refraction of the prism material is 1.50. Which of the following statements is most accurate?
A. The angle of refraction will be greater than 0° but less than 45°.
B. The angle of refraction will be greater than 45° but less than 90°.
C. The angle of refraction will be 0°.
D. The angle of refraction cannot be determined from the information given.
The correct answer is (C). Snell’s law is n1 sin(theta1) = n2 sin(theta2). Since the incident rays are normal to the prism surface, theta1 = 0°, and sin 0° = 0. Since
0 = n2 sin(theta2)
theta2 = 0
