Total internal reflection for a glass microscope slide in air takes place at an angle of incidence of 34.0°. Determine the refractive index of the glass

To determine the refractive index of the glass, we can use the formula for the critical angle of total internal reflection, which is given by:

sin(c) = n2/n1

where:

• c is the critical angle
• n1 is the refractive index of the denser medium (in this case, the glass slide)
• n2 is the refractive index of the less dense medium (in this case, air, which has a refractive index of approximately 1)

In this case, we know that the critical angle is 34.0°. So we can rearrange the formula to solve for n1:

n1 = n2/sin(c)

Substituting the given values:

n1 = 1/sin(34.0°)

Calculating this will give us the refractive index of the glass.