Refractive index is the measurement of ratio of speed of light in a vacuum to the measurement of speed of light in a material. Light will not achieve a speed higher than. To use this online calculator for Refractive Index enter Angle Of Incidence i and Angle Of Refraction r and hit the calculate button.
The speed of the light is faster in a vacuum compared to the speed of the light in air.
Furthermore refractive index values may be significantly higher in the case of infrared waves. Next measure the. The refractive index of a material is a measure of the change in the speed of light as it passes from a vacuum or air as an approximation into the material. Combining the above expression for velocity with the definition of index of refraction we find a relationship between the wavelength l v f in a medium and the.