Snell's Law
n1*sin(θ1) = n2*sin(θ2), where n1 and n2 are the refractive indices of the two media and θ1 and θ2 are the angles of incidence and refraction.
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The statement of the theorem
Let be a parameterized path in connecting points and . Define the refractive index as a scalar field representing the local speed of light variation. The optical path length is given by the integral: where is the infinitesimal arc length element. By Fermat's Principle, the path must satisfy the variational condition . In a planar interface separating two media, and , with refractive indices and , and assuming the interface lies in the -plane, the path minimization leads to the generalized form of Snell's Law. If and are the angles of incidence and refraction, respectively, measured relative to the normal vector , the condition is: This relationship is derived from the conservation of the component of the wave vector tangential to the interface, specifically , where is the vacuum wave number.
Source: Wikipedia