Total Internal Reflection

9SCIE - Radiation and the Human Body

Finn Le Sueur

2024

Te Whāinga Ako

  • Be able to describe total internal reflection
  • Be able to draw a diagram of total internal reflection

Write the date and te whāinga ako in your book

Total Internal Refection

  • When all of the light at a boundary is reflected.
  • Only occurs when__ the incident angle is greater than or equal to the critical angle,
  • and it is moving from a more dense to less dense medium
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Uses of Total Internal Reflection

  • A fibre optic cable works by reflection.
  • Light rays travel down the cable and reflect off the inside walls of the cable even when it is bent.
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Surgery

  • Endoscopes use optical fibres.
  • A doctor can insert a bundle of optical fibres into the body to see the inside of the body clearly – and help them diagnose diseases or see what they are doing during keyhole surgery.
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