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Snell's law. Refraction of light at the interface between two media of different refractive indices, with n 2 > n 1. Since the velocity is lower in the second medium (v 2 < v 1), the angle of refraction θ 2 is less than the angle of incidence θ 1; that is, the ray in the higher-index medium is closer to the normal.
Fermat's principle, also known as the principle of least time, is the link between ray optics and wave optics. Fermat's principle states that the path taken by a ray between two given points is the path that can be traveled in the least time. First proposed by the French mathematician Pierre de Fermat in 1662, as a means of explaining the ...
Refraction of a light ray. In optics, the refractive index (or refraction index) of an optical medium is the ratio of the apparent speed of light in the medium to the speed in air or vacuum. The refractive index determines how much the path of light is bent, or refracted, when entering a material. This is described by Snell's law of refraction ...
A ray of light being refracted in a plastic block. In physics, refraction is the redirection of a wave as it passes from one medium to another. The redirection can be caused by the wave's change in speed or by a change in the medium. [1] Refraction of light is the most commonly observed phenomenon, but other waves such as sound waves and water ...
In optics, Cauchy's transmission equation is an empirical relationship between the refractive index and wavelength of light for a particular transparent material. It is named for the mathematician Augustin-Louis Cauchy, who originally defined it in 1830 in his article "The refraction and reflection of light". [1]
For a glass medium (n 2 ≈ 1.5) in air (n 1 ≈ 1), Brewster's angle for visible light is approximately 56°, while for an air-water interface (n 2 ≈ 1.33), it is approximately 53°. Since the refractive index for a given medium changes depending on the wavelength of light, Brewster's angle will also vary with wavelength.
Birefringence means double refraction. It is the optical property of a material having a refractive index that depends on the polarization and propagation direction of light. [1] These optically anisotropic materials are described as birefringent or birefractive.
The ratio of the refractive indices of the media determines the degree of refraction, and is summarized by Snell's law. Light of composite wavelengths (natural sunlight) disperses into a visible spectrum passing through a prism, because of the wavelength-dependent refractive index of the prism material ; that is, each component wave within the ...