critical angle
English
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Refraction_internal_reflection_diagram.svg/220px-Refraction_internal_reflection_diagram.svg.png)
Noun
critical angle (plural critical angles)
- (physics) The smallest angle of incidence for which light is totally reflected from a boundary between one medium and a less refractive one
- (aerodynamics) The smallest angle of attack of an airfoil at which lift suddenly decreases and drag suddenly increases
- (architecture) The smallest angle of a ramp or stairs considered uncomfortable or unsafe
Translations
smallest angle of incidence
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