Question

Fermat's principle for refraction at spherical boundary

Answer 1

Explanation:

Fermat’s principle states that “light travels between two points along the path

that requires the least time, as compared to other nearby paths.” From Fermat’s

principle, one can derive (a) the law of reflection [the angle of incidence is equal

to the angle of reflection] and (b) the law of refraction [Snell’s law]. This is

problem 32-81 on page 864 of Giancoli. The derivations are given below.