A beam of light with a wavelength of 589 nanometers traveling in air makes an angle of incidence of 40° on a slab of transparent material, and the refracted beam makes an angle of refraction of 26°. Find the index of refraction of the material.

Light sound, and other waves travel at different speeds, depending on the media (air, water, wood, and so on) through which they pass. Suppose that light travels from a point A in one medium, where its speed is v₁, to a point B in another medium, where its speed is v₂. Refer to the figure, where the angle θ₁ is called the angle of incidence and the angle θ₂ is the angle of refraction. Snell's Law, which can be proved using calculus, states that

 

The v_l/v₂ is called the index of refraction. Some values are given in the table shown to the right.

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Angle of incidence A. Incident ray, speed v, Refracted ray, speed v2 "Angle of refraction