Question

what is refractive index???

Answer 1

Refractive index is the measurement of how hard it is for light to travel through a media. The higher the number the harder it is. It is compared to air. If you look at part of Snell's law, it will tell you something about the nature of the index.

n_glass . . . . . . V_air
====== . .= . .=====
n_air. . . . . . . . .v_glass

It is measured in such a way that the refractive index of air (n_air) is one and the speed is taken as 3*10^8 m/s. Since glass is optically denser that air, the speed comes down in such a way that the optical index goes up to about 1.5. To get the actual speed of light in glass just divide 3*10^8/1.5 and you get 2*10^8. m/s

Answer 2

oh thnx!

Answer 3

no problem @vtsin