10.4
Cards (11)
- Refractive index (n) or index of refraction refers to the ratio of the speed of light in free space to that of its speed in a given medium.
- A material’s refractive index is determined by its optical density, or the “inert tendency” of a material’s molecules to keep the absorbed energy of an EM wave in the form of oscillating electrons before releasing it back as a new disturbance.
- Optical density must not be confused with mass density (mass per unit volume). The more optically dense an object is, the slower that a wave will travel through that material.
- Snell’s law (or the Law of Refraction) describes the relationship between the angle of incidence θa and angle of refraction θb as light passes through two different media
- Mathematically, it states that the ratio of the sines of the angle of incidence θa and angle of refraction θb (considering both are measured relative to the normal to the surface) is equivalent to the inverse ratio of the two indices of refraction
- Total internal reflection happens when a light ray from a material (a) is incident (or forms an angle of incidence) on a second material (b) with a refractive index smaller than that of a, such that nb> na.
- Refraction refers to the bending of light at a certain angle θb when it passes through a different medium
- The refractive index (n) or index of refraction refers to the ratio of the speed of light in free space to that of its speed in a given medium
- A material’s refractive index is determined by its optical density, or the “sluggish tendency” of a material’s molecules to keep the absorbed energy of an EM wave in the form of oscillating electrons before releasing it back as a new disturbance
- Snell’s law (or the Law of Refraction) describes the relationship between the angle of incidence θa and angle of refraction θb as light passes through two different media.
- Total internal reflection happens when a light ray from a material (a) is incident (or forms an angle of incidence) on a second material (b) with a refractive index smaller than that of a, such that nb> na.