Chapter : 4. Light Refraction
Refractive Index
Refractive Index
(a) Refractive Index in terms of Speed of Light:
The refractive index of a medium may be defined in terms of the speed of light as follows :
OR
(b) Refractive Index in terms of Wavelength :
Since the frequency () remains unchanged when light passes from one medium to another, therefore,
(c) Relative Refractive Index :
The relative refractive index of medium 2 with respect to medium 1 is defined as the ratio of speed of light (V1) in the medium 1 to the speed of light (V2) in medium 2 and is denoted by 1µ2.-
Thus,
As refractive index is the ratio of two similar physical quantities, so it has no unit and dimension. Factors On Which The Refractive Index Of A Medium Depends Are :
(i) Nature of the medium.
(ii) Wavelength of the light used.
(iii) Temperature
(iv) Nature of the surrounding medium.
It may be noted that refractive index is a characteristic of the pair of the media and also depends on the wavelength of light, but is independent of the angle of incidence.
(a) Refractive Index in terms of Speed of Light:
The refractive index of a medium may be defined in terms of the speed of light as follows :
OR
(b) Refractive Index in terms of Wavelength :
Since the frequency () remains unchanged when light passes from one medium to another, therefore,
(c) Relative Refractive Index :
The relative refractive index of medium 2 with respect to medium 1 is defined as the ratio of speed of light (V1) in the medium 1 to the speed of light (V2) in medium 2 and is denoted by 1µ2.-
Thus,
As refractive index is the ratio of two similar physical quantities, so it has no unit and dimension. Factors On Which The Refractive Index Of A Medium Depends Are :
(i) Nature of the medium.
(ii) Wavelength of the light used.
(iii) Temperature
(iv) Nature of the surrounding medium.
It may be noted that refractive index is a characteristic of the pair of the media and also depends on the wavelength of light, but is independent of the angle of incidence.
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