This calculator can be applied to the design of optical systems in which it is necessary to understand the behavior and direction of light as it changes mediums of propagation. Depending on the available inputs, this calculator can solve for the refractive index of a medium, the light’s angle of incidence, or its angle of refraction (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Snell’s Law applies to light transitioning from one medium of propagation to another.
Snell’s Law Equation:
Snell’s Law is given by the following equation:
$$n_{1}sin(theta_{1}) = n_{2}sin(theta_{2})$$
Where:
n1 = Refractive index of the incident medium
n2 = Refractive index of the refractive medium
θ1 = Angle of incidence relative to the surface’s normal
θ2 = Angle of refraction relative to the surface’s normal
The angles are limited to:
$$ 0 lt theta lt frac{pi}{2} $$ radians
or
$$ 0 lt theta lt 90 $$ degrees
Table 1. Input limits for the angles of refraction.
| Greater Than | Less Than | Units |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 90 | Degrees |
| 0 | $$frac{pi}{2}$$ (+1.57079) | Radians |
| 0 | 100 | Gradians |
| 0 | 0.25 | Turns |
| 0 | 5400 | Minutes of Arc |
| 0 | 324000 | Seconds of Arc |
| 0 | 1570.80 | Milliradians |
| 0 | 1570796 | Microradians |
Solving for any of the individual variables requires rearranging the equation accordingly. For example, to solve for θ1 given n1 and n2, the equation can be arranged as follows:
$$theta_{1} = sin^{-1}(frac{n_2sin(theta_2)}{theta_1})$$
The calculator will return “NaN” (meaning Not a Number) if the light would reflect rather than refract for the user-provided refractive indices and angle.
