Page 2 - Lesson note refractive index

o If medium 1 is vacuum or air, then the refractive index of medium 2 is
considered with respect to vacuum. This is called the absolute
refractive index of the medium.
o If c is the speed of light in the air and v is the speed of light in any
medium then refractive index n m of the medium would

be

Factors that affect refractive index of a substance:
1) Speed of light in the medium (Higher the speed of light, lower is the refractive
index)

2) Temperature of the medium(When the temperature of medium increases, the
speed of light in the medium increases and hence the refractive index decreases).

3) Colour or Wavelength of light(Greater is the wavelength of light in the given
medium, its refractive index will be less. Hence refractive index is least for red light
with greatest wavelength and greatest for violet light with greatest wavelength)

4) Optical density of the medium (Denser the medium, the speed of light in the
medium will be less and hence the refractive index will be more)...

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