THE INDEX OF REFRACTION

Read pages 524-525

Index of refraction in a medium:

______________________________________________________________________

n = c/v
n – ______________________________________, n is a dimensionless
quantity (has no units)

c – _____________________________________________

v – _____________________________________________

Snell’s Law

Snell, a Dutch scientist noted that:

sinθi = n sinθr θi - ______________________ θr – ______________________

n – __________________________________

Rearranging this, we get:

n=

This is another way to calculate the index of refraction, without needing to measure the
________________________.

A Couple of Points to Remember...

 The index of refraction is 1.00 in a vacuum, 1.0003 in air, and increases as the density of the
medium increases.
 The larger the refractive index in a medium, the slower the speed of light.
Example 1

If the speed of light in fluorite is 2.10 x 10 8 m/s, what is the index of refraction in fluorite?

Given: speed of light in fluorite :

speed of light in a vacuum :

Required:

Analysis:

Solution:

Statement:

Note: since m/s cancel out, n has no units

Example 2
If the index of refraction of diamond is 2.42, what is the speed of light in diamond?

G:

R:

A:

S:

S:
 Snell’s Law

Another way to calculate the index of refraction without measuring the __________________________
is by using Snell’s Law.

Snell’s Law

n1sinθi = n2sinθr θi - _____________________________________________ θr - ____________________________

n1 - ______________________________________________ n2 - ____________________________________________

Example:

Light is travelling from diamond (n=2.42) into air (n=1.0003) at an angle of 12⁰. Calculate the light’s
angle of incidence.