Bragg's Law (Angle of Incidence)

The Angle of Incidence (Bragg's Law) calculator uses Bragg's Law equation (nλ = 2dsinθ) to compute the angle of incidence (θ) based on the wavelength (λ) of light, the distance between layers of atoms (d), and the order of diffraction (n). 

INSTRUCTIONS: Choose the preferred units and enter the following:

• (λ) the wavelength of ray
• (d) the distance between layers of atoms
• (n) order of diffraction

Angle of Incidence (θ) The calculator returns the angle in degrees.  However, this can be automatically converted to other angle units via the pull-down menu.

The Math / Science

The Bragg's Law equation is used in chemistry to help describe the scattering effects when an x-ray is shone onto a crystal lattice, and is often used for X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). If the crystal structure is known, then Bragg's Law can be used to calculate the wavelength of the x-rays hitting its surface. However, if the crystal structure is unknown, then the incoming x-ray information can be used to calculate details about the crystal lattice structure. This information is useful to chemists and can provide data on new crystal lattice structures.  Bragg's Law is represented in the following formula:

      nλ = 2dsinθ

where: 

• (λ) wavelength of x-ray
• (n) order of diffraction
• (d) distance between layers of atoms
• (θ) the angle of incidence of the incoming x-ray

This calculator solves the Bragg's Law formula for the angle of incidence (θ) in the following formula:

      θ = `sin^-1((n lambda)/(2d))`

Bragg's Law Calculators:

• (λ) wavelength of x-ray
• (n) order of diffraction
• (d) distance between layers of atoms
• (θ) the angle of incidence of the incoming x-ray

Snell's Law Calculators

• Angle of Transmission
• Angle of Incidence
• Refractive Index of Medium 1 (n₁)
• Refractive Index of Medium 2 (n₂)
• Critical Angle