Snells law

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Snell's law The ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence (i) to the sine of the angle of refraction (r) is a constant for any two isotropic media bounded by a common interface. The refractive index n is given by: n = sini/sinr, and n1sini = n2sinr, where n1 and n2 are the refractive indices of the two media. The law also indicates that a P-wave incident upon a boundary will be reflected and refracted partly as a P-wave and partly as an S-wave. The law was formulated by the Dutch astronomer and mathematician Willebrord Snell (1591–1626).

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