Does light always travel in a straight line? The narrator of a short video discusses the path light travels when going between different mediums and points out that light will want to travel on the path that minimizes the travel time. The resource also presents a hypothetical proof of Snell's Law between the measure of the angle the light enters the water and the speed of light in air and water.

Concepts

the speed of light, water, air, sine, springs, force, proportional reasoning, proportions, trigonometric equations

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Additional Tags

math

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Instructional Ideas

• Lead a discussion about how an object in the water is not where it appears when looking at if from above the surface
• Provide the class problems to work using Snell's Law

Classroom Considerations

• The class should have some understanding of forces

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Provides graphics to illustrate the equations
• The proof does not require calculus or derivatives

Cons

• None

Common Core

HSA-CED.A.1 HSA-CED.A.4 MP4