Refractive Indices
Absolute Refractive Index
The absolute refractive index of a medium is the ratio of the speed of light in vacuum to the
speed of light in that medium.
Formula: n = c / v
Where:
- n = absolute refractive index
- c = speed of light in vacuum (approximately 3 x 10^8 m/s)
- v = speed of light in the medium
Relative Refractive Index
The relative refractive index is the ratio of the speed of light in one medium to the speed of light
in another medium.
Formula: n21 = v1 / v2
Where:
- n21 = relative refractive index of medium 2 with respect to medium 1
- v1 = speed of light in medium 1
- v2 = speed of light in medium 2
Relationship between absolute and relative refractive indices:
n21 = n2 / n1
Where:
- n1 = absolute refractive index of medium 1
- n2 = absolute refractive index of medium 2
Snell's Law
Snell's law describes the relationship between the angles of incidence and refraction when light
passes from one medium to another. It states that the ratio of the sines of the angles of
incidence and refraction is equal to the ratio of the velocities of the two media, or equivalently,
the inverse ratio of the refractive indices.
Mathematically, Snell's law is expressed as:
n1 sin(θ1) = n2 sin(θ2)
Where:
- n1 = refractive index of the first medium
- n2 = refractive index of the second medium
- θ1 = angle of incidence
- θ2 = angle of refraction
This law is useful for understanding how light behaves when it passes from one medium to
another, such as from air into water or glass.
Refraction through a glass slab involves a light ray entering a denser medium (glass) from a
rarer medium (air), bending towards the normal, and then exiting back into the rarer medium,
bending away from the normal, resulting in an emergent ray parallel to the original incident ray
but shifted sideways by a phenomenon called lateral displacement.
Step-by-step explanation:
1. Incident Ray:
A ray of light travels in air and strikes the surface of the glass slab at a point of incidence.
2. First Refraction (Air to Glass):
As the light enters the glass, it moves from a rarer medium (air) to a denser medium (glass). It
slows down and bends towards the normal (the imaginary line perpendicular to the surface).
3. Internal Travel:
The light ray travels in a straight line inside the glass slab.
4. Second Refraction (Glass to Air):
When the refracted ray reaches the other side of the glass slab, it moves from the denser
medium (glass) back into the rarer medium (air).
5. Emergent Ray:
The light speeds up and bends away from the normal. The ray that exits the slab is called the
emergent ray.
6. Parallel Shift (Lateral Displacement):
Due to the parallel faces of the rectangular glass slab, the emergent ray is parallel to the original
incident ray. However, it is displaced sideways from the original path. This perpendicular
distance between the original path of the incident ray and the emergent ray is called lateral
displacement.
Key Points:
The bending of light is called refraction.
The ray bends towards the normal when moving from air to glass.
The ray bends away from the normal when moving from glass to air.
The incident ray and the emergent ray are always parallel in a rectangular glass slab.
The angle of incidence in air and the angle of emergence are equal.
The shift in the path of the light ray is called lateral [Link]
