Equation 1 · Physics Optimizes, Evolution Satisfices: Two Kinds of Perfection
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Symbol n_1
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subscript
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What the article says around this equation
A beam of light crossing from air into glass bends at the interface by exactly the angle that gets it through in the least possible time. Pierre de Fermat stated this as a principle in the 1660s, and the consequence collapses into one line of algebra: for a ray crossing between two media of refractive index and ,
Sources cited in the article section
- [11] General Relativity: Einstein's Geometric Gravity ↗
- [8] Metaphysics of the Principle of Least Action ↗
- [10] Science and Religion ↗
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