Critical angle

Critical angle
Critical Crit"ic*al (kr[i^]t"[i^]*kal), a. [See {Critic}, n., {Crisis}.] [1913 Webster] 1. Qualified to criticise, or pass judgment upon, literary or artistic productions. [1913 Webster]

It is submitted to the judgment of more critical ears to direct and determine what is graceful and what is not. --Holder. [1913 Webster]

2. Pertaining to criticism or the critic's art; of the nature of a criticism; accurate; as, critical knowledge; a critical dissertation. [1913 Webster]

3. Inclined to make nice distinctions, or to exercise careful judgment and selection; exact; nicely judicious. [1913 Webster]

Virgil was so critical in the rites of religion, that he would never have brought in such prayers as these, if they had not been agreeable to the Roman customs. --Bp. Stillingfleet. [1913 Webster]

4. Inclined to criticise or find fault; fastidious; captious; censorious; exacting. [1913 Webster]

O gentle lady, do not put me to 't, For I am nothing, if not critical. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

5. Characterized by thoroughness and a reference to principles, as becomes a critic; as, a critical analysis of a subject. [1913 Webster]

6. [See {Crisis}.] Pertaining to, or indicating, a crisis, turning point, or specially important juncture; important as regards consequences; hence, of doubtful issue; attended with risk; dangerous; as, the critical stage of a fever; a critical situation. [1913 Webster]

Our circumstances are indeed critical. --Burke. [1913 Webster]

The small moment, the exact point, the critical minute, on which every good work so much depends. --South. [1913 Webster]

{Critical angle} (Optics), that angle of incidence of a luminous ray at which it is wholly reflected, and no portion of it transmitted. The sine of this angle is the reciprocal of the refractive index of the medium.

{Critical philosophy}, the metaphysical system of Kant; -- so called from his most important work, the ``Critique of Pure Reason.'' [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Critical angle — can refer to: Critical angle (optics) the angle of incidence above which total internal reflection occurs Critical angle of attack, in aerodynamics; the angle of attack which produces the maximum lift coefficient Critical angle of repose, in… …   Wikipedia

  • critical angle — n. 1. Optics the smallest possible angle of incidence at which light rays are totally reflected 2. Aeron. that angle of attack at which the flow of air around an airfoil suddenly changes, with an abrupt reduction in lift and an increase of drag:… …   English World dictionary

  • critical angle — i. The minimum angle of incidence at which a radio wave of a particular frequency can strike the ionosphere and still be reflected back to the earth. Critical angle is a function of frequency; the higher the frequency, the larger the critical… …   Aviation dictionary

  • critical angle — 1. Optics. the minimum angle of incidence beyond which total internal reflection occurs for light traveling from a medium of higher to one of lower index of refraction; the angle of incidence for which refracted rays emerge tangent to the surface …   Universalium

  • critical angle — ribinis kampas statusas T sritis fizika atitikmenys: angl. critical angle vok. Grenzwinkel, m rus. предельный угол, m pranc. angle critique, m; angle limite, m …   Fizikos terminų žodynas

  • critical angle — kritinis kampas statusas T sritis fizika atitikmenys: angl. critical angle vok. kritischer Winkel, m rus. критический угол, m pranc. angle critique, m …   Fizikos terminų žodynas

  • critical angle of attack — noun see critical angle 2 …   Useful english dictionary

  • critical angle — noun the smallest angle of incidence for which light is totally reflected • Hypernyms: ↑angle of incidence, ↑incidence angle …   Useful english dictionary

  • critical angle — noun a) The smallest angle of incidence for which light is totally reflected from a boundary between one medium and a less refractive one b) The smallest angle of attack of an airfoil at which lift suddenly decreases and drag suddenly increases …   Wiktionary

  • critical angle — crit′ical an′gle n. 1) opt the minimum angle of incidence beyond which total internal reflection occurs for light traveling from a medium of higher to one of lower index of refraction 2) aer. the angle of attack at which a sudden change in… …   From formal English to slang

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