The refractive index (or index of refraction) of a medium is a measure for how much the speed of light (or other waves such as sound waves) is reduced inside the medium. For example, typical glass has a refractive index of 1.5, which means that light travels at times the speed in air or vacuum. Two common properties of glass and other transparent materials are directly related to their refractive index. First, light rays change direction when they cross the interface from air to the material, an effect that is used in lenses and glasses. Second, light reflects partially from surfaces that have a refractive index different from that of their surroundings
Of a medium, the ratio of the velocity of propagation of an electromagnetic wave in vacuum to its velocity in the medium (188) Synonym index of refraction
A number representing the degree of change in direction that occurs at the point where a beam of light exits one medium and enters another This index is different for each type of gemstone
The refractive index is a number given to materials that indicates the speed at which light travels through it Microscopes can be set up to visualise objects on the basis of variations of refractive index
The refractive index is a measure of how light is refracted in a substance (like a gemstone) In doubly-refractive stones, the light is split into two light rays when it enters the stone, and the rays travel in different paths - so these stones have more than one refractive index
he refractive index is a ratio between the speed of light in one medium to the speed of light in a different medium For example, a gems refractive index is the ratio of the speed of light in air versus the speed of light in that gem The higher the refractive index, the more light bends
A measure of the amount of "refraction," or bending, of an energy wave (visual light, infrared, radio and others) passing from one density to another in a medium such as air or water The apparent bending of a stick when placed in a pool of water is an example
The ratio of the velocity of light in a vacuum to the velocity of light in a specific material Using 1 0 as the base reference, the higher the number, the slower the speed of the lightwaves in the material
A number which characterizes the properties of a material when light is transmitted through it A vacuum has a refractive index of 1 0; air is fairly close to this also As the refractive index rises, light waves travel more slowly in the material, more light is reflected and the bending or refraction of light is greater Some materials have a different refractive index depending on the plane of vibration of the electromagnetic wave, they are called birefringent
The refractive index of a medium is calculated by dividing the speed light travels through that medium by the speed of light in a vacuum Ice has a refractive index of 1 31, while air has a refrative index of 1 000277
The degree to which a transparent material bends light It's actually the speed of light in a vacuum devided by the speed of light in the medium being considered See Specular transmission for more
A relationship between the sine of the angle of incidence and the sine of the angle of refraction when a ray of light passes from air to a transparent medium
The ratio of the velocity of light in a vacuum to the velocity in some medium Refractive index generally increases with the atomic number of the constituent atoms