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Questions and Answers
What is the primary purpose of the refractive index in optics?
What is the speed of light in a vacuum used for in the formula for refractive index?
If the refractive index of medium 1 is 1.5 and the refractive index of medium 2 is 1.3, what can be said about the speed of light in these media?
What is the critical angle in total internal reflection?
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What is the physical phenomenon described by Snell's Law?
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What is the refractive index of a medium if the speed of light in the medium is 2.0 x 10^8 m/s?
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Study Notes
Refractive Index
Definition
- The refractive index (n) is a measure of how much a light beam is bent when it passes from one medium to another.
- It is a dimensionless quantity that describes the amount of refraction caused by a medium.
Formula
- n = c / v
- n: refractive index
- c: speed of light in vacuum (approximately 3 x 10^8 m/s)
- v: speed of light in the medium
Refractive Indices of Common Materials
- Air: 1.00
- Water: 1.33
- Glass: 1.50 - 1.90
- Diamond: 2.42
Snell's Law
- Describes the refraction of light as it passes from one medium to another
- n1 sin(θ1) = n2 sin(θ2)
- n1 and n2: refractive indices of the two media
- θ1 and θ2: angles of incidence and refraction, respectively
Total Internal Reflection
- Occurs when light travels from a medium with a higher refractive index to a medium with a lower refractive index
- If the angle of incidence is greater than a certain critical angle, the light is completely reflected back into the first medium
- Critical angle (θc): sin(θc) = n2 / n1
Refractive Index
Definition and Formula
- Refractive index (n) measures how much a light beam is bent when passing from one medium to another.
- It's a dimensionless quantity describing the refraction caused by a medium.
- n = c / v, where c is the speed of light in vacuum ( approximately 3 x 10^8 m/s) and v is the speed of light in the medium.
Refractive Indices of Common Materials
- Air: 1.00
- Water: 1.33
- Glass: 1.50 - 1.90
- Diamond: 2.42
Snell's Law and Refraction
- Describes the refraction of light as it passes from one medium to another.
- n1 sin(θ1) = n2 sin(θ2), where n1 and n2 are refractive indices and θ1 and θ2 are angles of incidence and refraction.
Total Internal Reflection
- Occurs when light travels from a medium with a higher refractive index to a medium with a lower refractive index.
- If the angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle, the light is completely reflected back into the first medium.
- Critical angle (θc): sin(θc) = n2 / n1.
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Description
This quiz covers the concept of refractive index, its definition, formula, and refractive indices of common materials such as air, water, glass, and diamond.
