what is the means of refractive index
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Answer:
Refractive index, also called index of refraction, measure of the bending of a ray of light when passing from one medium into another. ... Refractive index is also equal to the velocity of light c of a given wavelength in empty space divided by its velocity v in a substance, or n = c/v.
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The ratio between the speed of light in medium to speed in a vacuum is the refractive index. When light travels in medium other than the vacuum, the atoms of that medium continually absorb and re-emit the particles of light, slowing down the speed light. In this article, let us discuss the refractive index of water and various mediums.
What Is Refractive Index?
Refractive index is defined as
The ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to its speed in a specific medium.
Refractive index is also referred to as refraction index or index of refraction. The speed of light in a medium depends on the properties of the medium. In electromagnetic waves, the speed is dependent on the optical density of the medium. Optical density is the tendency of the atoms in a material to restore the absorbed electromagnetic energy. The more optically dense material is, the slower the speed of light. One such indicator of the optical density of a medium is the refractive index.