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Snell's law
[ snelz ]
noun
, Optics.
- the law that, for a ray incident on the interface of two media, the sine of the angle of incidence times the index of refraction of the first medium is equal to the sine of the angle of refraction times the index of refraction of the second medium.
Snell's law
/ snɛlz /
noun
- physics the principle that the ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction is constant when a light ray passes from one medium to another
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Word History and Origins
Origin of Snell's law1
Named after Willebrod Snell van Royen (died 1626), Dutch mathematician
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Word History and Origins
Origin of Snell's law1
C17: named after Willebrord Snell (1591–1626), Dutch physicist
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