When a light ray passes from a transparent medium to air, it is deflected through an angle. A light ray is shone on a transparent object \(\mathrm{P}\) in the shape of a rectangular prism. The light ray hits the base of the object at point \(A\left( 2,2,-3 \right)\) relative to origin \(O\) and travels in the direction parallel to \(4\mathbf{i}+\mathbf{k}\).
It leaves the top of the object at point \(B\) and the deflected ray passes through point \(C\left( 2,-5,1 \right)\).
The top of the prism is part of a plane with normal vector \(\mathbf{n}\) modelled by the equation \(\mathbf{r}\cdot \left( \begin{matrix} 1 \\ 1 \\ 1 \end{matrix} \right)=6\).

The diagram above shows a cross-section of the object \(\mathrm{P}\) in the plane of the light ray and \(\mathbf{n}\). The angle, \(\theta \), between the light ray and a line perpendicular to the surface of the object \(\mathrm{P}\) is known as the angle of incidence.
A phenomenon known as total internal reflection occurs when the light ray does not leave the transparent medium and is instead reflected within the transparent medium. When object \(\mathrm{P}\) is replaced by another transparent object \(\mathrm{Q}\) with the same dimensions as object \(\mathrm{P}\), total internal reflection occurs. The reflected ray makes the same angle \(\theta \) with the line perpendicular to the surface of object \(\mathrm{Q}\) at the point \(B\) and exits object \(\mathrm{Q}\) at point \(A'\).

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