Question

The speed of light in a diamond is 1,24,000km/s find the refractive index of diamond if the speed of light in air is 300000km/s

Answer 1

QUESTION ---- The speed of light in a diamond is 1,24,000km/s find the refractive index of diamond if the speed of light in air is 300000km/s

ANSWER
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Refractive Index is defined as ratio of velocity of light in air or vacuum to velocity of light in a specific material.

Speed of light in Diamond = 124000 km/hr

Speed of light in Air = 300000 km/hr

Refractive Index = Speed of light in Air / Speed of light in Diamond

Refractive Index = 300000 / 124000

Refractive Index = 300 / 124

=> 2.419

It has no units because it is a ratio
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ANSWER = Refractive Index = 2.419
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HOPE IT HELPS :):):):):)

Answer 2

Refractive index is physical quantity which is linked to the medium...A Every transmitting medium have strength to bend the light when it passes through it....This strength of bending the light ( changing the direction of light when it passes through some transparent medium) is called Refractive index of that medium....

Refractive index can be calculated by finding ratio between the velocity of light in Air or Vaccume and Velocity of light in Medium ( Medium can be Glass , Water , oil etc...)

Refractive index of medium with respect to air =

Velocity of light in Air / Velocity of light in Medium..

Points to be noted : Refractive index of any medium is always greater than 1....This can be explained as follow...The velocity of light is maximum in air which is equal to 3 x 10 raised to the power 8 m/s...When Light enters the refractive medium its velocity always decreases...For example Velocity of light in air is 3x10^8 m/s..but when it passes through the glass its velocity decrease than in air...

Now to calculate refractive index we actually find the ratio of velocities..

The numerator part we have greater velocity and in denominator part we have smaller one....According to math..if you divide any greater number by the smaller one , You will always get the results greater than 1...
You can simply try it with any number...take any greater number in numerator part and devide it with a smaller one..you will get a results greater than 1....
So When we Divide the velocity of light which is maximum with velocity of light in any medium whoch is lesser than it...we always get a results greater than 1....

So refractive index is always greayer than 1....

Note that velocity and speed can be use interchangably only when light travel in a straight path...

and the last thing is that Refractive index habe no unit...see snap...hope this help...