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A beam of light propagates from point A in medium 1 to point B in medium 2, as shown in FIGURE 26-78. The index of refraction is different in these two media; therefore, the light follows a refracted path that obeys Snell s law.
In FIGURE 26-78
(a) Calculate the time required for light to travel from A to B along the refracted path.
(b) Compare the time found in part (a) with the time it takes for light to travel from A to B along a straight-line path. (Note that the time on the straight-line path is longer than the time on the refracted path. In general, the shortest time between two points in different media is along the path given by Snell s law.) |
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