Refraction and Index of Refraction
Snell's
Law: Snell's Law uses the Index of Refraction for each medium to determine the
angle of refraction when light passes from
one medium to another. Snell's Law states:
n1
is the Index of Refraction of the medium for the incident ray.
n2 is the Index of Refraction of the medium for the refracted ray.
q1 is the Angle of Incidence.
q 2 is the Angle of Refraction.
 Law
of Reflection - q1'
= q1
Law of Refraction -
n1sinq1
= n2sinq2
(Snell's Law)
Here the "n's" are constants
called the index of refractions. These constants are obtained by the
dividing the speed of light (c) by the actual velocity of the light
traveling in the medium (v), in other words
( c / v ). Below is a table of some common indices of
refraction. |
