physics.snells_law

Snell’s Law — Refraction Angle Calculation.

Calculates the angle of refraction when light passes between two media using Snell’s Law: n1 * sin(theta1) = n2 * sin(theta2).

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snell%27s_law

Functions

calculate_refraction_angle(→ float)

Calculates the refraction angle of light passing from one medium to another.

Module Contents

physics.snells_law.calculate_refraction_angle(index_of_refraction_1: float, index_of_refraction_2: float, incident_angle_degrees: float) → float

Calculates the refraction angle of light passing from one medium to another. The law states that, for a given pair of media, the ratio of the sines of angle of incidence and angle of refraction s equal to the refractive index of the second medium with regard to the first which is equal to the ratio of the refractive indices of the two media, or equivalently, to the ratio of the phase velocities in the two media.

Formula: n1 * sin(theta1) = n2 * sin(theta2) or : (sin(theta1) / sin(theta2)) = (n2 / n1) Where:

n1 = refractive index of the first medium n2 = refractive index of the second medium theta1 = angle of incidence theta2 = angle of refraction

Note: Total Internal Reflection (TIR) occurs when light travels from a denser medium to a rarer medium and the incident angle exceeds the critical angle, making refraction impossible.

Sources:
>>> calculate_refraction_angle(1.0, 1.33, 60.0)
40.63
>>> calculate_refraction_angle(2.0, 1.0, 30.0)
90.0
>>> calculate_refraction_angle(1.33, 1.0, 60.0)
Traceback (most recent call last):
    ...
ValueError: Invalid physical inputs: ratio cannot be outside [-1, 1].
>>> calculate_refraction_angle(-1.33, 1.0, 60.0)
Traceback (most recent call last):
    ...
ValueError: Invalid physical inputs: ratio cannot be outside [-1, 1].
>>>