Refractive Index of Water

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Refractive Index of Water

TRY SOME QUICK QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TO GET STARTED
How do the refractive indices of different media affect the direction in which light travels?
When light crosses a boundary into a medium with a high refractive index (eg. diamond = 2.42) there is a significant change in direction and speed. When light crosses a boundary into a medium with a low refractive index (eg. water = 1.333) there is a less significant change in direction or speed.
If the refractive indices are known, can the angle of refraction be calculated for a ray of light travelling from one medium to another?
Yes! The angle of refraction for a ray of light travelling from one transparent medium to another can be calculated using the law of refraction (Snell's law) if both refractive indices are known.
Why does the refractive index of a vacuum = 1?
The refractive index of a medium is calculated by dividing the speed of light in a vacuum by the speed of light as it propagates through another medium. So the refractive index of a vacuum = 1 because the speed of light in a vacuum divided by the speed of light in a vacuum = 1.
How is the refractive index of a medium related to the speed of light?
Refractive index (index of refraction) determines how much slower light travels through a given medium than through a vacuum.

About the diagram

About wavelength
About refractive index
About colour

Some key terms

Refractive index

The refractive index of a medium is the amount by which the speed (and wavelength) of electromagnetic radiation (light) is reduced compared with the speed of light in a vacuum.

  • Refractive index (or, index of refraction) is a measure of how much slower light travels through any given medium than through a vacuum.
  • The concept of refractive index applies to the full electromagnetic spectrum, from gamma-rays to radio waves.
  • The refractive index of a medium is a numerical value and is represented by the symbol n.
  • Because it is a ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to the speed of light in a medium there is no unit for refractive index.
  • If the speed of light in a vacuum = 1. Then the ratio is 1:1.
  • The refractive index of water is 1.333, meaning that light travels 1.333 times slower in water than in a vacuum. The ratio is therefore 1:1.333.
  • As light undergoes refraction its wavelength changes as its speed changes.
  • As light undergoes refraction its frequency remains the same.
  • The energy transported by light is not affected by refraction or the refractive index of a medium.
  • The colour of refracted light perceived by a human observer does not change during refraction because the frequency of light and the amount of energy transported remain the same.
Refraction

Refraction refers to the way that electromagnetic radiation (light) changes speed and direction as it travels across the interface between one transparent medium and another.

  • As light travels from a fast medium such as air to a slow medium such as water it bends toward the normal and slows down.
  • As light passes from a slow medium such as diamond to a faster medium such as glass it bends away from the normal and speeds up.
  • In a diagram illustrating optical phenomena like refraction or reflection, the normal is a line drawn at right angles to the boundary between two media.
  • A fast (optically rare) medium is one that obstructs light less than a slow medium.
  • A slow (optically dense) medium is one that obstructs light more than a fast medium.
  • The speed at which light travels through a given medium is expressed by its index of refraction.
  • If we want to know in which direction light will bend at the boundary between transparent media we need to know:
  • Which is the faster, less optically dense (rare) medium with a smaller refractive index?
  • Which is the slower, more optically dense medium with the higher refractive index?
  • The amount that refraction causes light to change direction, and its path to bend, is dealt with by Snell’s law.
  • Snell’s law considers the relationship between the angle of incidence, the angle of refraction and the refractive indices (plural of index) of the media on both sides of the boundary. If three of the four variables are known, then Snell’s law can calculate the fourth.

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