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It means that the speed of light through water at that temperature
is [ (the speed of light through vacuum) divided by (1.333) ].

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Q: What does 'at 25C the refractive index of water is 1.333' mean?
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What do you mean by refractive index and what are factor in which it depends?

Refractive index is defined as the ratio of the speed of light in vacuum to the speed of light in given media.


Is it possible to have a refractive index less than one?

"No, it is not.If any substance had a refractive index less than one, that would mean that the speed of light in that substance was greater than c . The speed of light in vacuum (always as known as c) can not be exceeded under any circumstances."Yes it is possible!In typical media such as glass, air, water, perspex etc, one expects to find a refractive index grater than one. Light travels through the medium by sequential absorption and re-emission by the particles in the media. Think of atoms as passing a photon along like a package in a human chain. It takes time for each atom to absorb and re-emit the photon so the speed of light is slower than in vacuum. The ratio of speed in and out of the media is the refractive index. So in almost all cases the refractive index is grater than one.However there are some cases where the refractive index of a media can be less than one.Plasma - the refractive index of plasma is less than one n(f)= [1-(w/f)^2]^1/2Where n(f) is the refractive index as a function of the frequency of light which is propagating through the plasma, w = the plasma frequency.Metals - although not transparent at visible frequencies, metal is transparent to IR frequencies, and exhibits an index less than one. This is because there is a more complex mechanism used by the atoms to pass the photon through the medium. In conductors like metal, its very complicated as magnetism and moving electrons in atoms become important.NOTE: It is the phase velocity that becomes faster than the speed of light. The group velocity of light can never exceed the speed light! Information and energy travels with the group velocity and so violation of relativity or Maxwell's equations.


What does wave mean?

Here wave means that the light can behave as wave in some condition,itdoes not move in straight line and the direction of the light changes as per the change in refractive index of the medium in which light ray moves.


What is the difference between CPI and SPI?

CPI mean (consumer price index ) which measure change in the level of consumer goods and services purchase by consumer.SPI mean ( Share Price index)


Why does not a light refracts at 90 degrees?

You mean that as light is incident normally. Here the angle of incidence will be 0. As per Snell's law sine of angle of incidence / sine of angle of refraction = refractive index So Sin i = mu * sin r As i=0 then r too has to be 0 as mu is not equal to 0 Hence no refraction becomes possible for a normally incident light ray

Related questions

Differences between relative refractive index and absoulate refractive index?

Refractive Index(i) Refractive index of a medium is that characteristic which decides speed of light in it.(ii) It is a scalar, unit less and dimensionless quantity.(iii) Absolute refractive index :When light travels from vacuum to any transparent medium then refractive index of medium w.r.t. vacuum is called it's absolute refractive index i.e. vacuumµmedium = c/vAbsolute refractive indices for glass, water and diamond are respectively µg = 3/2 = 1.5, µw = 4/3 = 1.33 and µD = 12/5 = 2.4(iv) Relative refractive index :When light travels from medium (1) to medium (2) then refractive index of medium (2) w.r.t. medium (1) is called it's relative refractive index i.e. 1µ2 = µ2/µ1 = v1/v2 (where v1 and v2 are the speed of light in medium 1 and 2 respectively).(v) When we say refractive index we mean absolute refractive index.(vi) The minimum value of absolute refractive index is 1. For air it is very near to 1. ( 1.003)


What do you mean by refractive index and what are factor in which it depends?

Refractive index is defined as the ratio of the speed of light in vacuum to the speed of light in given media.


What does the term density and refractive index mean?

The optical density of a medium is not the same as its physical density. The physical density of a material refers to the mass/volume ratio. Optical density determines how much a light wave is slowed down as it passes through a medium. The more optically dense a material is, the slower that a wave will move through the material.The refractive index is a measurement of optical density. A medium with a low optical density, would have also a low refractive index.For example air, having a low optical density has a refractive index of 1.0003, whereas water, with a higher optical density, has a higher refractive index of 1.333.


Do high refractive neccessarily mean high molecular mass?

Not necessarily. Diamond molecules are comparable in mass to those of water, yet diamond has a far higher index of refraction over water.


What chemical has a refractive index closest to that of a diamond?

I'm assuming you mean what material has the closest refractive index to diamond? Cubic Zirconia is quite close (2.2 vs. diamonds 2.42), and moissanite or silicon carbide as well (2.65).


Is it possible to have a refractive index less than one?

"No, it is not.If any substance had a refractive index less than one, that would mean that the speed of light in that substance was greater than c . The speed of light in vacuum (always as known as c) can not be exceeded under any circumstances."Yes it is possible!In typical media such as glass, air, water, perspex etc, one expects to find a refractive index grater than one. Light travels through the medium by sequential absorption and re-emission by the particles in the media. Think of atoms as passing a photon along like a package in a human chain. It takes time for each atom to absorb and re-emit the photon so the speed of light is slower than in vacuum. The ratio of speed in and out of the media is the refractive index. So in almost all cases the refractive index is grater than one.However there are some cases where the refractive index of a media can be less than one.Plasma - the refractive index of plasma is less than one n(f)= [1-(w/f)^2]^1/2Where n(f) is the refractive index as a function of the frequency of light which is propagating through the plasma, w = the plasma frequency.Metals - although not transparent at visible frequencies, metal is transparent to IR frequencies, and exhibits an index less than one. This is because there is a more complex mechanism used by the atoms to pass the photon through the medium. In conductors like metal, its very complicated as magnetism and moving electrons in atoms become important.NOTE: It is the phase velocity that becomes faster than the speed of light. The group velocity of light can never exceed the speed light! Information and energy travels with the group velocity and so violation of relativity or Maxwell's equations.


Which is the largest refractive index material that can be used for optical communication and what is its refractive index?

It depends on what you mean by "for optical communication", but the standard Optical fibers that route light around have an index of 1.4, which is modest. But for on-chip electronics, Silicon or Gallium Arsenide are typically used, which have indices of 3.96, and 3.927 respectively. These values are about the largest one can find for any materials that are also low-loss for light. Some researchers are looking into the field of 'plasmonics' which incorporates metals, which have much higher refractive indices, but metals are also very lossy, so most of these attempts are still in the research phase.


Is it possible to have internal reflection of light incident from air to glass?

If you mean that the light is in the glass, and the air is on the "outside", then yes. The other way it isn't possible; for total internal reflection, the material through which light travels must needs have a higher refractive index.


Is it possible to have total internal reflection of light incident from air to glass?

If you mean that the light is in the glass, and the air is on the "outside", then yes. The other way it isn't possible; for total internal reflection, the material through which light travels must needs have a higher refractive index.


What does refractive index mean?

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.


What is body index?

I think you mean Body Mass Index...?


What is body mask index?

I think you mean Body Mass Index...?