How does fiber optics work?

Fibre optics is the transmission of light through thin, transparent fibres. These fibres keep the light in by total internal reflection – a process that happens when the incident ray of a light ray strikes the boundary of a medium at an angle that is larger than its critical angle. In a fibre, the core has a higher index of refraction than the material surrounding it and the light reflects from that material back to the core, allowing the light to travel down the fibre. These fibres are generally made of glass and are flexible. Fibre optic technology is very important in our world today. It is used for telecommunications and networking. In the medical field, fiber optic technology is used to capture images of internal organs. Fiber optic cables connect the entire world through the Internet.