Léon Foucault
Claimed by PierreR
Biography
Light passes through different materials, or mediums, at different speeds. In general, the denser the medium, the slower light passes through it. As light changes speed as it passes through a medium, it also bends at an angle. The optical density of a material is how well it can transmit light.
Notable works
Foucault's Pendulum
Measurement of the speed of light
- The Index of Refraction: the ratio of the speed of light through a vacuum to the speed of light in the medium. Written as: [math]\displaystyle{ n=\frac{c}{v} }[/math], where
- c=speed of light in a vacuum
- v=speed of light in medium
Note that the index of refraction can never be less than one, since [math]\displaystyle{ \frac{c}{c}=1 }[/math].
- Snell's Law: size of the angle of refraction, or how much the light bends. Written as:[math]\displaystyle{ n_1\sin\theta_1=n_2\sin\theta_2 }[/math], where
- [math]\displaystyle{ n_1 }[/math]=index of refraction of medium 1
- [math]\displaystyle{ n_2 }[/math]=index of refraction of medium 2
- [math]\displaystyle{ \theta_1 }[/math]=angle of incidence
- [math]\displaystyle{ \theta_2 }[/math]=angle of refraction.
See also
External links
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~aty/explain/optics/refr.html