Index of Refraction Calculator

Index of Refraction or Refractive Index tells us how light travels through a medium. It is a dimensionless quantity that determines how much light is bent when entering a different medium. In other words, we can put it as change in speed and wavelength of the wave.

Index of Refraction is defined as the ratio of speed of light in vaccum to the speed of light in a medium. Refractive Index Equation is given by the expression n = c / v

• Where c is the Speed of Light in Vaccum and its value is 299,792.46 km/s
• v is the speed of light in medium
• n is the refractive index

Typical values of refractive index lie between 1 and 2. Nothing can travel faster than the speed of light so, the refractive index will not be lower than 1.

Follow the simple steps provided below to find the index of refraction and they are along the lines

• Firstly, evaluate the speed of light in a particular medium.
• Nextly, divide the speed of light with the speed of analyzed medium.
• The value you obtain is the refractive index of the medium.

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1. What does the Index of Refraction Tell you?

Refractive Index determines how much light is bent when entering a different medium.

2. What is meant by Refractive Index?

Refractive Index is nothing but the ratio of speed of light in vacuum to the speed of light in medium.

3. How do you find the Index of Refraction?

You can find the Index of Refraction using the Refractive Index Equation n = c / v

4. What happens when the index of refraction increases?

With high refractive index the density of the medium increases and the lave wave travels slowly and this causes a change in direction of light.