Prism Refraction

This tutorial explores the effect of prism-induced refraction on visible light according to Snell's law. Both incident angle and beam thickness are adjustable using the sliders in the tutorial window.

To operate the tutorial, use your mouse to move the sliders that control the thickness and incident angle of the visible light beam. The incident and refraction angles are displayed on the applet.

Contributing Authors

Mortimer Abramowitz - Olympus America, Inc., Two Corporate Center Drive., Melville, New York, 11747.

Robert T. Sutter and Michael W. Davidson - National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, 1800 East Paul Dirac Dr., The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, 32310.