Question

Define refractive index in terms of speed of light.

Define refractive index of a medium in terms of speed of light.

Answer 1

The refractive index of a medium is also defined in terms of the speed of light in different media.

µ = `("speed of light in vacuum or air" (c))/("speed of light in the medium" (v))`

In general,

₁µ₂ = `("speed of light in medium"  1)/("speed of light in medium"  2)`

Answer 2

The absolute refractive index (n) of a medium is defined as the ratio of the speed of light in vacuum (c) to the speed of light in that medium (v).

n = `c/v`