Home › Scottish National 5 › Physics › Mirrors and Lenses › What mathematical relationship is Snell's law, d…
What mathematical relationship is Snell's law, describing how a ray bends at a boundary between two media?
An1 sin(theta1) = n2 sin(theta2)
Bn1 cos(theta1) = n2 cos(theta2)
Cn1 + theta1 = n2 + theta2
Dn1 / theta1 = n2 / theta2
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. n1 sin(theta1) = n2 sin(theta2)
1. The exact mathematical relationship linking the angles at a boundary is called the law of refraction, or Snell's law.
2. It is written as n1 sin(theta1) = n2 sin(theta2), linking each medium's index to the sine of its angle.
3. Using cosine, addition, or division instead of sine and multiplication does not match the stated form of the law.
_Source: OpenStax Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 16 "Mirrors and Lenses", section 16.2 Refraction_
Related questions
In an eye where the lens-to-retina distance is fixed at 2.00 cm, an object sits 50.0 cm awA lens produces a 5.00 cm tall image of an 8.00 cm tall object when the object is placed 1A book page is held 6.50 cm from a concave lens whose focal length is -10.0 cm. Using d_i A light bulb sits 0.75 m from a convex lens with a 0.50 m focal length. Using d_i equals fA lens has a focal length of 12.5 cm. Using P equals 1 over f, what is its power?Sunlight is focused by a magnifying glass to a bright spot 8.00 cm from the lens. Using P The thin-lens equation used for lenses is the same equation used earlier for curved mirrorWhat kind of spectacle lens corrects farsightedness, and how does it help?