What is the critical angles for water ice when surrounded by air?
theda critial = arcsin(n2/n1)
=arcsin(1/n1)
What is the index of refraction of water ice? also is the above equation correct?
The critical angle is the angle of incidence at which light passing through a medium is refracted at an angle of 90 degrees. To find the critical angle for water ice surrounded by air, we need to determine the refractive index of water ice and use it in the equation you provided.
The refractive index of a material is a measure of how much it slows down the speed of light passing through it compared to its speed in a vacuum. Water ice has a refractive index of approximately 1.31.
Now, let's use the equation you mentioned to calculate the critical angle:
θ_critical = arcsin(n_2 / n_1)
Here, n_1 represents the refractive index of the medium from which light is coming (in this case, air), and n_2 represents the refractive index of the medium into which light is entering (water ice).
Since the refractive index of air is very close to 1, we can approximate n_1 as 1. Therefore, the equation becomes:
θ_critical = arcsin(1 / 1.31)
Now you can use a scientific calculator or an online calculator to find the inverse sine (arcsin) of 1 divided by 1.31. This will give you the critical angle for water ice surrounded by air.
Lastly, it's important to mention that the equation you provided is correct for calculating the critical angle. However, the value for n_1 (refractive index of air) is usually approximated to be 1 due to its proximity to the vacuum.