When the light hits the barrier between two mediums, then the light is partly refracted and partly reflected. Willebrord Snell discovered Snell's Law in 1621. Snell's law is also known as "Law of Refraction" and “Snell-Descartes” Law. Snell's law explains this angle of refraction. The refractive index also determines how much the light changes its path when it travels from one medium to another medium. Snell’s Law - Calculation of Angle of Refraction This means the speed of the light is slow in the optically denser medium in comparison to an optically rarer medium. Optically denser medium is a medium, which has a higher value of the refractive index. Nm = Speed of Light in Air/ Speed of light in given mediumįor example, the water refractive index is 1.33, which means the speed of light in water is 1.33 times lesser than the speed of the light in vacuum. Assume the speed of the light in the air as "c," and that of the given medium is "v." Then, the refractive index of the given medium is calculated as:. The speed of the light is faster in a vacuum compared to the speed of the light in air. Therefore, n₂ = Speed of Light in Vacuum/Speed of light in the 2nd medium The symbol n₂ denotes the absolute Refractive Index. But, when one of the two mediums is considered a vacuum, then the refractive index of the second medium, concerning the first medium, is known as Absolute Refractive Index. Speed of Light in 2nd medium/ Speed of light in 1st mediumĪs mentioned before, to calculate the refractive index, two different mediums are considered. Now, the refractive index (n) of 1st medium with respect to 2nd medium is:. N₂₁= Speed of Light in 1st medium/ Speed of light in 2nd medium Now, the refractive index (n) of 2nd medium with respect to 1st medium is:.
The symbol "n" denotes the refractive index. To calculate the refractive index, the speed of light is considered in two mediums. The Phenomenon of Refraction Deals with Two Aspects:. In other words, the refractive index is the measure of the bending of the light ray during the travel from one medium to another medium. The refractive index/index of refraction is the degree of the change of direction of the light in two mediums. The speed of light in a vacuum is 3x108 meters/second, and the speed of light in air is 2.98x108 meters/second. It happens due to the variation in the speed of light in each medium. The refractive index is a common phenomenon, which is being observed almost daily.Ī light ray changes its direction when it travels from one medium to another medium.
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