Snell's Law / Refraction Simulator
Explore how light bends at the interface between two media. Adjust the incident angle and refractive indices to see refraction, total internal reflection, and the critical angle.
Refraction Parameters
Properties
| Incident Angle | 30° |
| n₁ | 1.00 |
| n₂ | 1.50 |
| Refracted Angle | -- |
| Critical Angle | -- |
| TIR? | -- |
| Speed Ratio | -- |
| n₁sinθ₁ | -- |
The Physics Behind It
Snell's Law
- Snell's Law: n₁ sinθ₁ = n₂ sinθ₂
- Critical angle: θc = arcsin(n₂/n₁) when n₁ > n₂
- Total internal reflection occurs when θ > θc and light goes from denser to rarer medium
- Speed in medium: v = c/n
Key Concepts
- Refraction is the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another due to a change in speed
- Refractive index (n) measures how much slower light travels in a medium compared to vacuum
- Total internal reflection occurs when light hits a boundary at an angle greater than the critical angle, from a denser to a rarer medium
- Applications include fiber optics, prisms, lenses, and diamond sparkle
You're crushing it!