Index of Refraction
ratio of the speed of Light in a Vacuum to the speed of Light in a given material. The degree to which a Light Ray entering a material is bent depends on Index of Refraction. Index of Refraction for a given material depends on the Wavelength of the Light due to Dispersion. | ||||
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Index of Refraction definition was found in categories: Language, Idioms & Slang(2) Science & Technology(1) Encyclopedia(1)
Index of Refraction Definition from Language, Idioms & Slang Dictionaries & Glossaries
| WordNet 2.0 |
index of refraction
Noun
1. the ratio of the velocity of light in a vacuum to that in a medium
(synonym) refractive index
(hypernym) ratio
Noun
1. the ratio of the velocity of light in a vacuum to that in a medium
(synonym) refractive index
(hypernym) ratio
| hEnglish - advanced version |
index of refraction
index of refraction
n : the ratio of the velocity of light in a vacuum to that in a medium [syn: refractive index]
index of refraction
n : the ratio of the velocity of light in a vacuum to that in a medium [syn: refractive index]
Index of Refraction Definition from Science & Technology Dictionaries & Glossaries
Index of Refraction Definition from Encyclopedia Dictionaries & Glossaries
| Wikipedia English - The Free Encyclopedia |
Refractive index
The refractive index (or index of refraction) of a medium is a measure for how much the speed of light (or other waves such as sound waves) is reduced inside the medium. For example, typical glass has a refractive index of 1.5, which means that light travels at 
times the speed in air or vacuum. Two common properties of glass and other transparent materials are directly related to their refractive index. First, light rays change direction when they cross the interface from air to the material, an effect that is used in lenses and glasses. Second, light reflects partially from surfaces that have a refractive index different from that of their surroundings.
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