Question
Question: Collect the values of the refractive index of the following media. Water, coconut oil, flint glass...
Collect the values of the refractive index of the following media.
Water, coconut oil, flint glass, crown glass, diamond, benzene and hydrogen gas.
Solution
- Hint: In order to find the values of the refractive index of given media first we will understand the basic term refractive index then we will proceed further by making a table to get the required answer.
Complete step-by-step solution -
Refractive index: The refractive index is the ratio of light velocities in medium to vacuum velocity. When light travels in a medium other than the vacuum, the atoms of that medium continually absorb and re-emit the particles of light, slowing down the speed of light.
Table:
Material | Refractive index |
---|---|
Water | 1.33 |
Coconut oil | 1.44 |
Flint gas | 1.65 |
Crown glass | 1.52 |
Diamond | 2.42 |
Benzene | 1.5 |
Hydrogen gas | 1 |
Note- Within a vacuum, the speed of light depends on the properties of the vacuum. For electromagnetic waves the frequency depends on the medium's spectral intensity. Optical density is the ability of the atoms to recover the lost electromagnetic energy in a substance. The denser the optical substance, the slower the luminosity. One of those measures of a medium's optical quality is the refractive index.