Refractive index, Physics

Assignment Help:

Refractive index:

The most important optical measurement for any transparent material is its refractive index (n). The refractive index is the ratio of the speed of light (c) in a vacuum to the speed of light in the medium:

The speed of light in a material is always slower than in a vacuum, so the refractive index is always greater than one in the optical part of the spectrum. Although light travels in straight lines through optical materials, something different happens at the surface. Light is bent as it passes through a surface where the refractive index changes. The amount of bending depends on the refractive indexes of the two materials and the angle at which the light strikes the surface between them.

The angle of incidence and refraction are measured not from the plane of the surfaces but from a line perpendicular to the surfaces. The relationship is known as "Snells Law", which is written; ni sin I = nr sin R, where ni and nr are the refractive indexes of the initial medium and the medium into which the light is refracted. I and R are the angles of incidence and refraction.

1747_REFRACTIVE INDEX.png

Snell's law indicates that refraction can't take place when the angle of incidence is too large. If the angle of incidence exceeds a critical angle, where the sine of the angle of refraction would equal one, light cannot get out of the medium. Instead the light undergoes total internal reflection and bounces back into the medium.

Figure  illustrates the law that the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection. It is this phenomenon of total internal reflection that keeps light confined within a fibre optic.

23_REFRACTIVE INDEX1.png


Related Discussions:- Refractive index

Rollercoaster Physics, Hello, As a part of a school assignment, I need to ...

Hello, As a part of a school assignment, I need to conduct a Q & A with an expert in a field of my choosing. The field I have chosen is the "physics of rollercoasters". If you wo

Explain Resonance, Resonance When the frequency of driving force become...

Resonance When the frequency of driving force become equal to the natural frequency of an oscillating system, the driving force provides maximum energy and the oscillating syst

Explain the concept of net force, Muturi is rearranging some furniture. ...

Muturi is rearranging some furniture. He pushes the dresser with a force of 143 N,and there is opposing frictional force of 112 N. What is the net force ?

Physics chapter 2-Motion in One Dimension, An express train, traveling at 3...

An express train, traveling at 36.0 m/s, is accidently sidetracked onto a local train track. The express engineer spots a local train exactly 100 m ahead of the same track and trav

Determine the entropy change, In this problem we will consider a vapor flui...

In this problem we will consider a vapor fluid interface on top of a solid surface.  A schematic is shown below: This is a zoomed-in picture of the edge of a liquid droplet

What is the neutron, Q. What is the neutron? Answer:- A neutron is...

Q. What is the neutron? Answer:- A neutron is a subatomic particle it's one of the building blocks of the atom. It has a mass of in relation to 1.675 x 10-27 kg. Its spin

Motion in one dimension, a car with an initial speed of 24.5 km/hr accelera...

a car with an initial speed of 24.5 km/hr accelerates at a uniform rate of 0.98 m/s^2 for 5.6sec. find the final speed and displacement of the car during this time.

Lens maker equation, what is the physics principle involved in the lens mak...

what is the physics principle involved in the lens maker equation

Find relativstic phenomena of light, If the speed of light were smaller tha...

If the speed of light were smaller than it is, would relativistic phenomena be more or less conspicuous than they are now? All else being similar, involving the rates of the ch

Classification of inductors, Inductors can be classified on the basis of na...

Inductors can be classified on the basis of nature of value and type of core used. Different type of inductors based on the type of core is: AIR CORE INDUCTORS: Air core coils

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd