Snell's law
[ snelz ]
nounOptics.
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.
Origin of Snell's law
1Named after Willebrod Snell van Royen (died 1626), Dutch mathematician
Words Nearby Snell's law
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
British Dictionary definitions for Snell's law
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
Origin of Snell's law
1C17: named after Willebrord Snell (1591–1626), Dutch physicist
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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