Two prisms of identical geometrical shape are combined such that their refracting angles are oppositely directed. For violet light, the materials of the prisms have refractive indices of 1.52 and 1.62 . A violet ray undergoes a deviation of 1.0^ when passing symmetrically through this combination. Determine the angle of the prisms.

Step-by-step solution

The net deviation produced by a combination of two prisms with oppositely directed refracting angles is the difference of their individual deviations. For a thin prism, the deviation is given by = ( - 1)A , where is the refractive index and A is the angle of the prism. Since the prisms have identical geometrical shapes, their refracting angles are equal. Let the angle of the prisms be A . The net deviation _ net is given by: _ net = ₂ - ₁ _ net = ( ₂ - 1)A - ( ₁ - 1)A _ net = ( ₂ - ₁)A Substituting the given values