1. What is Snell's Law?

Snell's Law describes the relationship between the angles of incidence and refraction when light passes between two different isotropic media. It's fundamental in optics and helps determine how light bends when changing mediums.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator verifies Snell's Law:

Where:

• \( n_1 \) — Refractive index of first medium
• \( n_2 \) — Refractive index of second medium
• \( i \) — Angle of incidence (degrees)
• \( r \) — Angle of refraction (degrees)

Explanation: The calculator computes both sides of the equation and shows the difference, which should be close to zero for valid measurements.

3. Importance of Refractive Index

Details: The refractive index determines how much light bends when entering a material. It's crucial for lens design, fiber optics, and understanding optical phenomena.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter refractive indices (typically between 1.0-2.5) and angles in degrees (between 0-90°). The verification result should be close to zero for accurate measurements.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What are typical refractive index values?
A: Air ≈1.0, Water ≈1.33, Glass ≈1.5, Diamond ≈2.4. Values vary with wavelength and temperature.

Q2: Why does light bend when changing mediums?
A: Light changes speed in different media, causing the wavefront to change direction at the boundary.

Q3: What is total internal reflection?
A: When light attempts to move from higher to lower refractive index at an angle greater than the critical angle, it reflects completely.

Q4: How does wavelength affect refraction?
A: Different wavelengths refract slightly differently (dispersion), causing phenomena like rainbows.

Q5: Can this calculator solve for any variable?
A: This version verifies the law. Future versions may solve for any variable when three others are known.