Difference between revisions of "Snell's Law"
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| − | :n<sub>1</sub> and n<sub>2</sub> are the indices of [[refraction]] in | + | :n<sub>1</sub> and n<sub>2</sub> are the indices of [[refraction]] in media 1 and 2, respectively |
| − | :v<sub>1</sub> and v<sub>2</sub> are the velocities of light in | + | :v<sub>1</sub> and v<sub>2</sub> are the velocities of light in media 1 and 2, and |
:θ<sub>1</sub> and θ<sub>2</sub> are the angle from the normal of the [[plane]] dividing the 2 media and the ray. | :θ<sub>1</sub> and θ<sub>2</sub> are the angle from the normal of the [[plane]] dividing the 2 media and the ray. | ||
Revision as of 23:04, June 23, 2008
Snell's Law describes how the direction of light changes when it moves from one medium to another. The two forms of the law are:
- n1 sin(θ1) = n2 sin(θ2)
- v2 sin(θ1) = v1 sin(θ2)
where:
- n1 and n2 are the indices of refraction in media 1 and 2, respectively
- v1 and v2 are the velocities of light in media 1 and 2, and
- θ1 and θ2 are the angle from the normal of the plane dividing the 2 media and the ray.
The index of refraction of a material is inversely proportional to the speed of light in that material, i.e. light will move slower in a material with a high index of refraction than it will in a material with a low index of refraction.
What Snell's Law says is that when light moves from a medium with a high index of refraction to a medium with a low index of refraction it will bend away the normal of the plane dividing the two media. Conversely, when light moves from a medium with a low index of refraction to a medium with a high index of refraction it will bend towards from the normal dividing the two media.
