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World 1 · Reflection & Refraction · 9 min

Snell's Law

The exact refraction equation

Teaching this? Open projector mode

At a boundary between two media, light refracts — it changes direction. The angles obey Snell’s law:

n₁ · sin θ₁ = n₂ · sin θ₂

where θ is measured from the normal in each medium.

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Light passes from air into water (n = 1.33), meeting the surface 45° from the normal. The refracted ray is about…

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