✳flâneur — a map of the web's best reading

Refractive index

en.wikipedia.org · 10,692 words · saved by 1 readers

In optics, the refractive index (or refraction index) of an optical medium is the ratio of the apparent speed of light in the air or vacuum to the speed in the medium. The refractive index determines how much the path of light is bent, or refracted, when entering a material. This is described by Snell's law of refraction, n1 sin θ1 = n2 sin θ2, where θ1 and θ2 are the angle of incidence and angle of refraction, respectively, of a ray crossing the interface between two media with refractive indices n1 and n2. The refractive indices also determine the amount of light that is reflected when reaching the interface, as well as the critical angle for total internal reflection, their intensity (Fresnel equations) and Brewster's angle.

Refractive index - Wikipedia Jump to content From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Property in optics A ray of light being refracted through a glass slab Refraction of a light ray In optics , the refractive index (also called refraction index or index of refraction, which is often shortened to the acronym IOR ), often denoted n , is the ratio of the speed of light in vacuum ( c ) to the speed of light in a given optical medium ( v ), n = c / v . The refractive index determines how much the path of light is bent, or refracted , when entering a material, as described by Snell's law of refraction

Explore this link on the map →

related reading