Fermat's principle states that a ray of light in a medium with a variable index of refraction will follow the path which requires the shortest traveling time. For a two-dimensional case, show that such a path is obtained by minimizing the integral Ví+y² dx, where n(x, y) is the index of refraction.

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Butkov Chapter 13
2. Fermat's principle states that a ray of light in a
medium with a variable index of refraction will follow
the path which requires the shortest traveling time.
For a two-dimensional case, show that such a path is
obtained by minimizing the integral, where n(x, y) is
the index of refraction.
2. Fermat's principle states that a ray of light in a medium with a variable index of
refraction will follow the path which requires the shortest traveling time. For a
two-dimensional case, show that such a path is obtained by minimizing the integral
Vi+y² dx,
where n(x, y) is the index of refraction.
Transcribed Image Text:Butkov Chapter 13 2. Fermat's principle states that a ray of light in a medium with a variable index of refraction will follow the path which requires the shortest traveling time. For a two-dimensional case, show that such a path is obtained by minimizing the integral, where n(x, y) is the index of refraction. 2. Fermat's principle states that a ray of light in a medium with a variable index of refraction will follow the path which requires the shortest traveling time. For a two-dimensional case, show that such a path is obtained by minimizing the integral Vi+y² dx, where n(x, y) is the index of refraction.
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