index of refraction

American  

noun

Optics.

1. a number indicating the speed of light in a given medium as either the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to that in the given medium absolute index of refraction or the ratio of the speed of light in a specified medium to that in the given medium relative index of refraction. n

---

index of refraction British  

noun

1. another name for refractive index

---

index of refraction Scientific  

1. A measure of the extent to which a substance slows down light waves passing through it. The index of refraction of a substance is equal to the ratio of the velocity of light in a vacuum to its speed in that substance. Its value determines the extent to which light is refracted when entering or leaving the substance.

---

Etymology

Origin of index of refraction

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

index of refraction

The difference in index of refraction between the two materials defines the angle of that bending.

From Scientific American ● Nov. 18, 2022

Light entering a medium with a negative index of refraction, on the contrary, would bend backward, creating unexpected optical effects, such as a straw appearing to lean the wrong way.

From Scientific American ● Nov. 18, 2022

Diamonds sparkle due to total internal reflection coupled with a large index of refraction.

From Textbooks ● Aug. 12, 2015

The index of refraction outside the fiber must be smaller than inside, a condition that is easily satisfied by coating the outside of the fiber with a material having an appropriate refractive index.

From Textbooks ● Aug. 12, 2015

A friend tells me the phenomenon is probably due to inorganic substances floating in the air—each substance in diffusion having its own index of refraction.

From Two Years in the French West Indies by Lafcadio Hearn