Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-2-paper-of-the-university-of-oxford/2018/10/iii/solution
Past exam of the physics 2 paper of the University of Oxford 2018 10 iii Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
Take the positive horizontal direction along B. The initial direction is . Reflection at the horizontal face B reverses the vertical direction. At C, symmetry of the equilateral geometry gives internal incidence , so Snell's law makes the emerging angle to C's normal equal to . Its direction is therefore . Subtracting the incoming direction givesThis is the smaller angle between the incident and emergent propagation directions in the requested reflection interval. The cancellation of occurs because the entry and exit refraction angles have equal magnitudes; refractive index still determines whether the reflected route exists and where it exits.
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