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Re: TIR in periscopes



Prisms, with total internal reflection, reflect more efficiently (they
would have close to 100% reflection) than mirrors. Even a good mirror
would reflect perhaps only 94% of the light incident upon it.

Regards,
Steven T. Ratliff
Northwestern College
str@nwc.edu




Digby Willard <dwillard@MAIL.CENTRAL.STPAUL.K12.MN.US>@lists.nau.edu: Forum
for Physics Educators" <PHYS-L on 02/16/2000 01:33:07 AM

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Subject: TIR in periscopes


Some of my texts say that right-angle prisms are used in periscopes as an
application of total internal reflection. If rumors are to be believed,
one of my prisms came from an old tank periscope.

Question: why are prisms used instead of mirrors?

Digby Willard
St. Paul Central H.S.