CHEM 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Total Internal Reflection, Transverse Wave, Circular Polarization
17 Mar 2018
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Document Summary
Light is transmitting to a medium of lower refractive index. Critical angle: increasing 1 leads to even greater 2. For 1 > c, refraction cannot happen. Only applicable if going from high index of refraction to low. Bending of light is transferred from one medium to another. How slower light travels through a medium than a vacuum. If n is going from low to high, light bends toward surface normal. If n is going from high to low, light bends away from surface normal. Transverse wave composed of oscillating magnetic and electric fields. Propagates without needing a medium (unlike other waves) Speed of light in a vacuum: c = 3 x 108 m/s. Intensity (and energy) is proportional to the square of the wave amplitude (like sound) Ray comes in and bounces off the surface. Angles are measured relative to surface normal!
