Two transparent prisms A and B of different refractive indices are placed in contact to produce a

1. rectangular block.
The figure below shows the path of a ray, incident normally on A, refracting as it crosses the
boundary between the prisms.

(a) Explain how the path of the ray shows that the refractive index of A is greater than the
refractive index of B.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(1)

(b) Show that the angle of refraction of the ray in B is about 60°.

(2)

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 (c) Draw, on the figure above, the path of the ray immediately after it reaches P.
Justify your answer with calculations.

(3)
(Total 6 marks)

A ray of light is incident on the internal boundary of a rectangular glass block in air.
2.
Part of the light refracts out of the block at an angle of 30°.

Some of the remaining light reflects within the block to become incident on the right-hand
boundary. refractive index of glass = 1.48

What is the angle of incidence of the ray at the right-hand boundary?

A 20°

B 42°

C 48°

D 70°

(Total 1 mark)

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 The speed of light decreases by 40% when it travels from air into a transparent medium.
3.
What is the refractive index of the medium?

A 0.6

B 1.4

C 1.7

D 2.5

(Total 1 mark)

A monochromatic light wave travels from glass into air.

4.
Which row shows what happens to the wavelength, speed and photon energy?

Wavelength Speed Photon energy

A increases increases increases

B does not change decreases does not change

C does not change decreases increases

D increases increases does not change

(Total 1 mark)

A ray of light is incident on a glass–air boundary of a rectangular block as shown.

5.

The refractive index of this glass is 1.5

The refractive index of air is 1.0
The angle of incidence of the light at the first glass–air boundary is 44°

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 What is the path of the ray of light?

(Total 1 mark)

The diagram shows part of the path of a ray of light through a right-angled prism.
6.

The prism is made of glass of refractive index 1.5

The incident light ray is parallel to the face XY. The ray is refracted towards the face XY.

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What is the path of the ray after it is incident on face XY?

(Total 1 mark)

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 The diagram shows a ray of light travelling in air and incident on a glass block of refractive index
7. 1.5

What is the angle of refraction in the glass?

A 22.5°

B 23.3°

C 33.1°

D 59.4°

(Total 1 mark)

A layer of liquid of refractive index 1.6 covers the horizontal flat surface of a glass block of
8. refractive index 1.5. A ray of light strikes the boundary between them at an angle such that it
travels along the boundary afterwards.

How does the ray strike the boundary?

A it travels in glass at an angle of 70° to the boundary

B it travels in glass at an angle of 20° to the boundary

C it travels in the liquid at an angle of 70° to the boundary

D it travels in the liquid at an angle of 20° to the boundary

(Total 1 mark)

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 What is the speed of light in glass of refractive index 1.42?
9.

A 4.26 × 107 m s−1

B 2.11 × 108 m s−1

C 3.00 × 108 m s−1

D 4.73 × 108 m s−1

(Total 1 mark)

Diamond jewels sparkle because light that enters the diamond at different incident angles is
10. reflected back to an observer. Figure 1 shows the path of one of these incident rays through a
diamond.

Figure 1

(a) (i) Calculate the critical angle for diamond.

Refractive index of diamond = 2.42

critical angle = ____________________ degree

(2)

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(ii) The ray shown in Figure 1 enters at an angle of incidence of 50.2°.
Calculate the angle of refraction θ.

θ = ____________________ degree
(2)

(iii) The angles of a diamond are chosen to maximise the amount of light reflected.
Figure 2 shows a diamond with different angles to that of a normally shaped
diamond. The dotted lines show the normal shape of a diamond.

Figure 2

Draw on Figure 2 the path of the ray until it leaves the diamond.
(2)

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 (iv) Moissanite is a transparent material with a refractive index of 2.67.

Discuss whether this material, if made to the diamond shape shown in Figure 1,
would reflect light back more or less than diamond.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(2)

(b) Figure 3 shows an infrared ray entering an optical fibre. The refractive index of the core is
1.55 at infrared frequencies.

Figure 3

(i) Calculate the speed at which infrared radiation travels in the core.

speed = ____________________ m s−1

(1)

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 (ii) The wavelength of this infrared radiation is 1300 nm in air.
Calculate the wavelength of infrared in the core.

wavelength = ____________________ m
(2)

(iii) State one reason for surrounding the core with cladding.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(1)
(Total 12 marks)

(a) Tick (✓) the appropriate boxes in the table to indicate how the wavelength, frequency and
11.
speed of light are affected when a ray of light travels from air into glass.

Wavelength Frequency Speed

increases

stays the same

decreases

(2)

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(b) Figure 1 shows a right-angled glass prism in contact with a transparent substance on one
of the faces. One of the other angles of the prism is θ.

Figure 1

(i) A ray A enters perpendicularly to one face of the prism. It is partially refracted and
partially reflected at the interface between the glass and the transparent substance.
The angle of refraction is 65.0°. The ray eventually leaves at an angle α to the
surface of the transparent substance.

Determine the angle α.

angle α = ____________________ degree

(2)

(ii) Determine the angle θ in Figure 1.

angle θ = ____________________ degree

(2)
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(c) Figure 2 shows another ray entering the prism.

Figure 2

(i) Identify the effect that takes place at X in Figure 2.

______________________________________________________________
(1)

(ii) Explain, with a diagram, how the effect that occurs at X is used to transmit
information along an optic fibre.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(3)
(Total 10 marks)

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 An optical fibre consists of a core, cladding and an outer sheath.
12.
(a) State the purpose of the outer sheath in an optical fibre.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(1)

(b) For one fibre, the speed of monochromatic light in the core is 1.97 × 108 m s−1 and the
speed in the cladding is 2.03 × 108 m s−1.

Calculate the critical angle for this light at the interface between the core and the cladding.

critical angle ____________________ degrees

(2)
(Total 3 marks)

Figure 1 shows a type of refractometer.

13. A semi-circular glass block is arranged so that its semi-circular faces are vertical. A drop of liquid
is placed at the centre of the flat horizontal surface of the block.

Figure 1

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Light enters the block through the curved surface and is incident on the midpoint of the horizontal
surface at angle of incidence θ.
Light that reflects at the glass–liquid boundary is detected on a screen that lies parallel to the
horizontal surface.

(a) Explain why the light ray in Figure 1 does not change direction as it enters the block.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(1)

(b) The refractometer is calibrated using a drop of liquid.

When θ = 15°, light is partially refracted at the glass–liquid boundary.

Calculate the angle of refraction at this boundary.

refractive index of glass block = 1.84

refractive index of liquid = 1.33

angle of refraction = ____________________ °

(2)

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The refractometer is used to determine the critical angle θc at the glass–liquid boundary.

Figure 2 shows dimensions of the arrangement.

Figure 2

The intensity of the light ray on the screen is observed as θ is increased from 15°. When θ = θc
the intensity of the light ray is seen to increase sharply at a point T on the screen.

The distance between the left-hand edge of the screen and T is x.

(c) Explain why the intensity of the light ray on the screen increases at T.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)

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(d) The liquid is replaced with a drop of sugar solution.
The refractive index of the sugar solution is greater than 1.33

Deduce how this change affects the position at which the sharp increase in intensity is
observed on the screen.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)

(e) The refractometer in Figure 2 is used to determine the concentration of a sugar solution.

Figure 3 shows the variation of refractive index with concentration of sugar solution.

Figure 3

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 For a drop of a particular sugar solution, x = 69 mm.

Determine the percentage concentration of the sugar solution.

refractive index of glass block = 1.84

percentage concentration = ____________________

(3)
(Total 10 marks)

The diagram shows a ray of monochromatic light, in the plane of the paper, incident on the end
14. face of an optical fibre.

(a) (i) Draw on the diagram the complete path followed by the incident ray, showing it
entering into the fibre and emerging from the fibre at the far end.

(ii) State any changes that occur in the speed of the ray as it follows this path from the
source.
Calculations are not required.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(4)

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 (b) (i) Calculate the critical angle for the optical fibre at the air boundary.

refractive index of the optical fibre glass = 1.57

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

(ii) The optical fibre is now surrounded by cladding of refractive index 1.47. Calculate
the critical angle at the core-cladding boundary.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

(iii) State one advantage of cladding an optical fibre.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(6)
(Total 10 marks)

(a) Define the amplitude of a wave.

15.
___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(1)

(b) (i) Other than electromagnetic radiation, give one example of a wave that is transverse.

______________________________________________________________
(1)

(ii) State one difference between a transverse wave and a longitudinal wave.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(1)

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(c) The figure below shows two identical polarising filters, A and B, and an unpolarised light
source. The arrows indicate the plane in which the electric field of the wave oscillates.

(i) If polarised light is reaching the observer, draw the direction of the transmission axis
on filter B in the figure below.

(1)

(ii) The polarising filter B is rotated clockwise through 360º about line XY from the
position shown in the figure above. On the axes below, sketch how the light intensity
reaching the observer varies as this is done.

(2)

(d) State one application, other than in education, of a polarising filter and give a reason for its
use.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)
(Total 8 marks)
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 (a) State the characteristic features of
16.
(i) longitudinal waves,

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

(ii) transverse waves.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(3)

(b) Daylight passes horizontally through a fixed polarising filter P. An observer views the light
emerging through a second polarising filter Q, which may be rotated in a vertical plane
about point X as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1

Describe what the observer would see as Q is rotated slowly through 360°.

You may be awarded marks for the quality of written communication provided in
your answer.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)
(Total 5 marks)

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