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What does refractive index mean?

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Anonymous

11y ago
Updated: 10/28/2022

The amount of refraction depends on the difference in density between two mediums.

So, the amount of refraction a material has, or it's refraction index, is the amount light will bend as it goes from medium into another medium.

For instance, Vacuum is considered to have a refraction index of 1 and all other materials being denser than vacuum will naturally have a larger refraction index, they bend light more.

So, it simply means that- since the object has a high density it will slow down light by a greater amount.

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Trever Windler

Lvl 13
2y ago

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