Question

Please answer in detail the discussions questions below.

1. Why do optical fibers have a minimum bend radius? What might happen if this minimum bend radius is exceeded?

2. Find or create your own application for the color dependence of the index of refraction. Your example need not be fully developed, but it should (1) address some task, and (2) be clear about the application of the color dependence to the task.

Answer 1

1) Optical fiber cable are based on total internal reflection.optical fibers have mimimum bend radius, since the single is transferred by multiple reflection and the condition for total internal reflection should be sataisfied at every reflection.

If bend radius get increase then angle of incidence might become less than the critical angle then total internal reflection condition will not satisfied and their will be loss of signal due to refraction.

2) Since refractive index(n) is different for different colors, therefore different colors deviate through different angles when passing through a certain medium.

application: Take a glass slab placed over a page in which letters are printed with different colors.

since n ( refractive index) of glass is different for different colors so image of different coloured letters will not raised equally . since n_v   ( refractive index of violet color) >  n_r ( for red color) , so violet letter image will be raised maximum.

this is used when we highlight some word.all letters raised to different height due to their different refactive index.