Snell's Law
Definition
Snell's Law relates the angles at which light rays enter and exit different mediums, describing how they refract (bend) due to changes in speed.
Analogy
Imagine driving your car from a road onto a sandy beach. As you transition from asphalt to sand, your car slows down and changes direction slightly. Similarly, when light travels from one medium to another with different optical properties, it bends or refracts according to Snell's Law.
Related terms
Refraction: The bending of light as it passes from one medium to another due to a change in its speed.
Index of Refraction: A measure of how much a material can slow down the speed of light compared to its speed in a vacuum.
Total Internal Reflection: The complete reflection of light at the boundary between two mediums when the angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle.
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