Refractive index
The refractive index is a crucial concept in optics, describing how light behaves as it moves from one medium to another. Here are the key aspects: 1. **Definition:** The refractive index (n) of a material is a measure of how much the speed of light is reduced when it travels through that material compared to its speed in a vacuum. 2. **Mathematically:** It's often expressed as the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to the speed of light in the material. 3. **Relation to Speed:** A higher refractive index indicates that light travels slower in that material. For example, glass has a higher refractive index than air. 4. **Snell's Law:** The refractive index plays a crucial role in Snell's Law, which describes how light bends (refracts) when it moves from one medium to another. sin i/sin r = constant = n n is called the refractive index of the second medium with respect to the first medium. This second law is also called Snell’s law. A ray incident along the normal (i =