Q. What is the lateral shift of a ray refracted through a parallel-sided glass slab of thickness ' $h$ ' in terms of the angle of incidence ' $i$ ' and angle of refraction ' $r$ ', if the glass slab is placed in air medium?
A) $\frac{h\tan(i-r)}{\tan r}$
B) $\frac{h\sin(i-r)}{\cos r}$
C) $h$
D) $\frac{h\cos(i-r)}{\sin r}$
Explanation
[Solution by Dr. Abubacker] The path of the ray inside the slab is $\frac h{\cos r}$. The lateral shift is the perpendicular distance between the emergent ray and the extended incident ray: $d=\frac h{\cos r}\sin(i-r)$. Answer (2).
Reviewed by Dr. Abubacker
Physics Educator & NEET/JEE Specialist
Ph.D. in Physics with 19+ years of teaching experience.