The refractive index can be seen as the factor by which the speed and the wavelength of the radiation are reduced with respect to their vacuum values: the speed of light in a medium is v = c/ n, and similarly the wavelength in that medium is λ = λ 0/ n, where λ 0 is the wavelength of that light in vacuum. The refractive indices also determine the amount of light that is reflected when reaching the interface, as well as the critical angle for total internal reflection, their intensity ( Fresnel's equations) and Brewster's angle. This is described by Snell's law of refraction, n 1 sin θ 1 = n 2 sin θ 2, where θ 1 and θ 2 are the angle of incidence and angle of refraction, respectively, of a ray crossing the interface between two media with refractive indices n 1 and n 2. The refractive index determines how much the path of light is bent, or refracted, when entering a material. In optics, the refractive index (or refraction index) of an optical medium is a dimensionless number that gives the indication of the light bending ability of that medium. Ratio of the speed of light in vacuum to that in the medium A ray of light being refracted through a glass slab
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