Reflecting Prism

“Fresnel next conceived the admirable improvement of employing the principle of “total” or internal reflexion by glass prisms. The ray Fi falling on a prismoidal ring, ABC, is refracted and bent in the direction iR, and falling on the side AC, at an angle of incidence greater than the critical, is totally relfected in the direction Re, and, impinging on the side BC at e, it undergoes a second refraction, and emerges horizontally. The highest ray FA after refraction by AB and reflexion by AC must (in order to avoid superfluous glass) pass along AB, and after a second refraction at B emerge horizontally. The lowest ray FB after refraction by AC and a second refraction by BC also emerge horizontally.” —The Encyclopedia Britannica, 1910

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