Leumas Physics

Snell's Law

n1·sin(θ1) = n2·sin(θ2)

What it says

Snell's law relates the angles of incidence and refraction to the refractive indices of the two media a light ray crosses.

Symbols

SymbolQuantityDimension
n1Refractive index of medium 1 (dimensionless)1
n2Refractive index of medium 2 (dimensionless)1
theta1Incidence angle (rad)1
theta2Refraction angle (rad)1

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Connects to

Filed under Waves · derive through it in the explorer