Refractive Index
What is a Refractive Index?
Light travelling from one medium to another medium bends accordingly. The bending of a light ray is measured by the relative refractive index of the medium. It is also defined as the ratio of the velocity of a light ray in a vacuum to the velocity of light in the medium, It is denoted by n, n = c/v.
What is the Unit of Refractive Index?
The refractive index is defined as the ratio of two velocities. Thus, we can say that the refractive index is a dimensionless or unitless quantity.
What is the refractive index of water?
The refractive index of water with respect to vacuum is 1.333.
What is the formula to calculate the refractive index of a medium?
The formula to calculate the refractive index of a medium is given below,
n = c / v
where
n is the refractive index of the medium
c is the velocity of light in vacuum
v is the velocity of light in the medium
Is the speed of light faster in glass or water?
The refractive index of water is 1.3 and the refractive index of glass is 1.5. we know that a higher refractive index lowers the speed of light. Thus, it is evident that the speed of light is faster in water than in glass.
Refractive Index
Refractive Index is a property of any material which is used to define the ratio between the speed of light in a medium to the speed in a vacuum. It is denoted by the symbol μ. When travelling in a medium other than the vacuum light particles are absorbed and re-emit by the medium which slows down the speed of light.
Let’s discuss the refractive index and its application and others in detail in this article.
Table of Content
- Refraction of Light
- Laws Of Refraction
- What is Refractive Index?
- Optical Density
- Solved Examples on Refractive Index