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nil1996
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Why does light slow down in glass?Can anybody explain why speed of light is slow in glass than in vacuum?
The refractive index is a measure of how much light is bent (or refracted) as it passes through a medium, such as air, water, or glass.
The refractive index of a material varies with the wavelength of light passing through it. This phenomenon is known as dispersion. In general, shorter wavelengths (such as blue light) are refracted more than longer wavelengths (such as red light).
The refractive index of a material is affected by its chemical composition, density, and temperature. Additionally, the refractive index can also be influenced by external factors such as pressure and magnetic fields.
The refractive index of a material is typically measured using a refractometer, which measures the angle of refraction of a beam of light passing through the material. The ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction is then used to calculate the refractive index.
The dependence of refractive index is utilized in a variety of applications, such as in the design of lenses for eyeglasses and microscopes, in the production of fiber optics for telecommunication, and in the measurement of sugar content in beverages using a refractometer.