484,755 views
33 votes
33 votes
Define refractive index.
mention the formula used to calculate it.

tysm~​

User Heeju
by
2.7k points

2 Answers

14 votes
14 votes

Answer:

Step-by-step explanation:

Refractive index refers to the ratio between the speed of an electromagnetic wave in a vacuum and its speed in another medium. It indicates the degree of refraction that would occur in a particular material. Furthermore, the refractive index through a vacuum is 1. One can define the normal as the perpendicular line to the surface of the interface. In such a case, a higher value of refractive index would certainly mean that the bend of the ray is towards the normal.

n = c/v

n = refractive index of the medium

c = speed of light when in vacuum

v = speed of light when in medium

User Aldert
by
3.2k points
9 votes
9 votes
The refractive index is the measure of bending of a light ray when passing from one medium to another. It can also be defined as the ratio of the velocity of a light ray in an empty space to the velocity of light in a substance, n = c/v.
User Petrux
by
3.7k points