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  • Angle of Incidence vs. Refraction: Understanding Snell's Law
    When light passes from air into glass, the angle of incidence is always bigger than the angle of refraction.

    Here's why:

    * Refractive Index: Glass has a higher refractive index than air. This means light travels slower in glass than in air.

    * Snell's Law: This law describes the relationship between the angles of incidence and refraction:

    * n₁ sin θ₁ = n₂ sin θ₂

    * where:

    * n₁ and n₂ are the refractive indices of the two mediums (air and glass)

    * θ₁ is the angle of incidence

    * θ₂ is the angle of refraction

    Since n₂ (glass) is greater than n₁ (air), sin θ₂ must be smaller than sin θ₁. Because the sine function is increasing in the range of 0 to 90 degrees, a smaller sine value means a smaller angle.

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