An equilateral prism is made of a material of refractive index √3. The angle of minimum deviation fo

JAMB Physics 2023 276 views
Source: JAMB · 2023

An equilateral prism is made of a material of refractive index √3. The angle of minimum deviation for the prism is

  1. 60° ✓
  2. 30°
  3. 45°
  4. 20°
Explanation

For a prism, n = sin[(A + D)/2] ÷ sin(A/2). An equilateral prism has A = 60°.

√3 = sin[(60° + D)/2] ÷ sin 30° = sin[(60° + D)/2] ÷ 0.5.

So sin[(60° + D)/2] = 0.866, which means (60° + D)/2 = 60°. Hence D = 60°.

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