Waves Revision

Refractive Index

Every medium has a specific refractive index - this is a value which describes how fast light travels through the medium. For example, an object with a refractive index of 2 will let light pass through it at 12 the speed it travels through a vacuum.

The higher the refractive index of a material, the more it slows down, and the more it 'bends' towards the normal.

The equation for refractive index is: n = cv, where n is the refractive index, c is the speed of light through a vacuum, and v is the speed of light through the medium.