Refraction and Snell's law simulator

Change the angle of incidence and the material to see how much light bends, find the critical angle and watch total internal reflection happen.

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Questions students ask

What is Snell's law?

n₁ sin i = n₂ sin r: the ratio of the sines of the angles equals the ratio of the refractive indices.

What is the critical angle of glass?

About 42° for glass of refractive index 1.5, from sin c = 1/n.

Free notes on refraction of light

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