gen-briefly-explain-snell-s-law-of-refraction-and-one-common-mis-3bd4

Briefly explain Snell's law of refraction and one common misconception about it.

# Snell's Law of Refraction **The Law:** Snell's law describes how light bends when passing from one transparent medium to another. It states: 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 (measured from the normal to the surface). ## Common Misconception **"Light always bends toward the normal when entering a new medium"** This is incorrect. Light bends *toward* the normal only when entering a **denser** medium (higher refractive index). When light passes from a denser to a less dense medium (e.g., water to air), it bends *away* from the normal. The direction of bending depends on the relative refractive indices of the two materials, not simply on crossing a boundary.