Know All about Snell’s Law of Refraction of Light
Snell’s law formula is one of the most important formulas to keep in mind while studying refraction. This will surely help you decipher the bend amount of any particular light ray. Hence, students need to be familiar with the concept of Snell’s law in the best way. It also helps you know more about the refraction law when the light ray is supposedly travelling between different mediums such as air, water, or glass. So, we are going to discuss the refraction formula as denoted by Snell’s formula.
A Definition of Snell’s Law of Refraction of Light
If you are looking for the definition of Snell’s refraction formula, this is how we define it. It is the ratio of the different sines that come from the incidence angle and the refraction angle. It is equal to the reciprocal ratio that is found of the refractive indices in the case when the light is travelling from a certain medium such as glass to another such as water. It is also known as Snell’s Descartes. This formula is used for providing the relation between the angles of refraction and incidence when a particular ray of light gets to travel from one isotropic medium to another. So, this is how we state the snell’s law of refraction of light.
Understanding the Snell’s Angle of Refraction Formula
The entire formula for Snell’s law is provided right below.
Sin α1/ Sine α2 = V1/V2
or
Sin α1 / Sine α2 = n2/ n1
or
Sin i/Sin r = constant = c
You can see that there is a constant c and that is denoting the refractive indices of 2 different mediums.
Here α1 is the angle of incidence ray and α2 is the angle of refraction
V1 and V2 = phase velocities that come for the 2 different media
n1 and n2 = refractive indices associated with 2 different media
We hope this answered your question of what is Snell’s law.
What is The Snell’s Law Derivation?
When we are trying to state Snell’s law and provide a derivation, it can be said that this formula helps provide the relation between the 2 different angles of refraction and the angle of incidence. The derivation can be stated as:
Sin α1 / Sin α2 = n2/ n1
Here ‘α1’ is a measure of the angle of incidence and ‘α2’ is a measure of the angle of refraction
‘n1’ is a measurement of the refractive index that is seen in the first medium
‘n2’ is a measurement of the refractive index that is seen in the second medium.
The derivation of Snell’s law happens from the principle of Fermat. It can be stated that light travels the shortest distance in a very small amount of time. With the constant travelling of a light ray from one medium to another, it can be used to find the angle as well as the refractive indices of the travelling ray of light. It can help in solving many of Snell’s law problems.
Snell’s Law Example
There are several examples of Snell’s law derivation that can be observed in cables of fibre optics and different materials. It can also be used for the creation of different optical devices such as cameras, eyeglasses, contact lenses, and much more.
FAQs on Snell’s Law Formula
1. What is the Formula for Snell’s Law?
The Snell’s law refractive index formula sin can be given as
Sin α1/ Sine α2 = V1/V2
or
Sin α1 / Sine α2 = n2/ n1
or
Sin i/Sin r = constant = c
2. What Does Snell’s Law Do?
Snell’s law can be very helpful in finding the angle at which a travelling light can bend when going from one medium to another.
3. Is there Any Practical Use of Snell’s Law?
Yes, Snell’s law can be used in the construction of several optical instruments such as glasses, lenses, cameras, and much more.
