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Joel's reluctance is understandable. Dr. Newbolt is saying essentially
that internal reflection occurs because we say that it does. When one
sets the boundary conditions of a PDE to behave such-and-such a way, one
should not be surprised that the solution of the PDE corresponds. That
is no answer at all to "Why does this happen?", which cannot be answered,
or "What is the *essential* difference in two different phenomena?". To
say the critical angle was exceeded is to say nothing unless the critical
angle be explained. Why is it critical? The reason one gets internal
reflection is that light and water are magical. Could someone, now, put
that in other words? Perhaps we could pretend that light is waves and
water is stuff. Or that light is particles and water is too. But one
is going to have to cook up an analogy that is fascinating, compelling,
and easily remembered. Perhaps, on the day following the lecture, the
class could be asked, "How many related that explanation to someone
else?"