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Mirage is an illustration of

June 1, 2025 by rawan239

Mirage is an illustration of

only dispersion of light.

only reflection of light.

only total internal reflection of light.

both refraction and total internal reflection of light.

This question was previously asked in

UPSC NDA-1 – 2021

Download PDF Attempt Online

The correct answer is (D) both refraction and total internal reflection of light.

Mirages are atmospheric optical illusions caused by the bending of light (refraction) as it passes through layers of air with different temperatures and thus different refractive indices. Near hot surfaces (like roads or sand in deserts), the air is hotter and less dense than the air above, meaning its refractive index is lower. Light from the sky or distant objects travels downwards into these layers of increasingly rarer (hotter) air. It bends away from the normal. If the angle of incidence becomes greater than the critical angle at the boundary between two air layers, total internal reflection occurs. This reflected light travels upwards to the observer’s eye, creating the illusion of an image displaced from the actual object’s position.

Refraction is the initial bending of light through the varying density/temperature layers. Total internal reflection occurs when light traveling from a denser medium to a rarer medium hits the boundary at an angle greater than the critical angle, and all light is reflected back into the denser medium. Both processes are necessary for the formation of most common mirages (like inferior mirages).

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