Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Index Of Refraction |
Index Of RefractionNoun1. The ratio of the velocity of light in a vacuum to that in a medium. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
| Domain | Definitions |
Aerospace | 1. A measure of the amount of refraction (a property of a dielectric substance). It is the ratio of the wavelength or phase velocity of an electromagnetic wave in a vacuum to that in the substance. Also called refractive index, absolute index of refraction, absolute refractive index, refractivity. See modified index of refraction, N-unit, potential index of refraction. It can be a function of wavelength, temperature, and pressure. If the substance is nonabsorbing and nonmagnetic at any wavelength, then n2 is equal to the dielectric constant at that wavelength. The complex index of refraction is obtained when the attenuation of the wave power radian, called the absorptive index k, is paired with the index of refraction. It is written n* = n (1 - ik) When the wave passes from one medium n1 to another n2, the angle of incidence f and the angle of refraction f', both measured with respect to the normal to the interface, are related by sin f / sin f' = n1* / n2* = constant which becomes, for a nonabsorbing medium, the ratios of the (noncomplex) indices of refraction. In the particular case that medium 2 is a vacuum, this ratio is the index of refraction of medium 1. This is known as Snell law, named after Willebrord Snell who discovered it about 1621.2. A measure of the amount of refraction experienced by a ray as it passes through a refractive interface, i.e., a surface separating two media of different densities. It is the ratio of the absolute indices of refraction of the two media (see sense 1 above). Also called refractive index, relative index of refraction.Symbol n. (references) |
Electrical Engineering | The ratio of a wave's velocity in a specified medium to its velocity in a vacuum. Source: European Union. (references) |
Mining | A number n found by dividing the velocity of light in a vacuum c by the velocity of light in a transparent substance. Isometric crystals are isotropic and have one index of refraction; all other symmetries are anisotropic. Hexagonal, trigonal, and tetragonal crystals have two principal indices; orthorhombic, monoclinic, and triclinic crystals have three principal indices. Determination of indices of refraction of a mineral is a major means of mineral identification. See also:dispersion; interference. Syn:immersion method; optical mineralogy;refractive index. CF:transmitted light. (references) |
Physics | The ratio of the speed of light in vacuum, air or other medium of reference, to the speed of light in a given medium ; the ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction when light is refracted from a vacuum(or, to a very close approximation, from air)into the medium. Source: European Union. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Synonym: Index Of RefractionSynonym: refractive index (n). (additional references) |
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit |  | Figure 49. Fery refractometer, an instrument first suggested by Julius Hilgard of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey to measure the density of sea water by relating the index of refraction of a liquid to its density. The instrument shown was developed by the Frenchman Charles Fery in 1891.Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
index of refraction | 23 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "index of refraction"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Chinese | 折射率 . (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Danish | brydningskoefficient (optical index, refraction coefficient, refractive index), brydningsindex (optical index, refraction coefficient, refractive index), brydningsindeks (optical index, radio refractive index, refraction coefficient, refractive index), brydningsforhold (optical index, refraction coefficient, refractive index), brydningseksponent (optical index, refraction coefficient, refractive index), brudtal (optical index, refraction coefficient, refractive index). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Dutch | radiorefractie-index (radio refractive index, refractive index), brekingsindex (optical index, refraction coefficient, refractive index). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Finnish | taittokerroin (radio refractive index, refractive index), refraktioindeksi (optical index, refraction coefficient, refractive index). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
French | indice de réfraction radioélectrique (radio refractive index, refractive index), indice de réfraction (optical index, radio refractive index, refractive index), coefficient de réfraction (optical index, refractive index). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
German | Refraktionsindex des Funksignals (radio refractive index, refractive index), Brechzahl (optical index, refraction coefficient, refractive index), Brechungszahl (optical index, refraction coefficient, refractive index), Brechungsvermögen (optical index, refraction coefficient, refractive index), Brechungsverhältnis (optical index, refraction coefficient, refractive index), Brechungsquotient (optical index, refraction coefficient, refractive index), Brechungskoeffizient (optical index, refraction coefficient, refractive index), Brechungsindex (optical index, refraction coefficient, refraction index, refractive index), Brechungsexponent (optical index, refraction coefficient, refractive index). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | δείκτης ραδιοηλεκτρικής διάθλασης (radio refractive index, refractive index), δείκτης διάθλασης (optical index, refraction coefficient, refractive index), δείκτης διαθλάσεως (optical index, refraction coefficient, refractive index). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungarian | törésmutató (refraction coefficient, refractive index). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | indice di rifrazione radioelettrica (radio refractive index, refractive index), indice di rifrazione (optical index, refraction coefficient, refractive index). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | indexay ofay efractionray índice de refracção radioeléctrico (radio refractive index, refractive index), índice de refracção (optical index, refraction coefficient, refractive index). (various references) coeficiente de refracción (optical index, refraction coefficient, refractive index), índice de refracción (optical index, radio refractive index, refraction coefficient, refractive index). (various references) ljusbrytningsindex (optical index, refraction coefficient, refractive index), brytningsindex (optical index, refraction coefficient, refractive index). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-c-d-e-e-f-f-i-i-n-n-o-o-r-r-t-x" | |
-4 letters: confederation. | |
-5 letters: noncertified, reconnoitred, redecoration. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)49 6E 64 65 78 4F 66 52 65 66 72 61 63 74 69 6F 6E |
| Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)
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Binary Code (1918-1938, probably earlier) (references)01001001 01101110 01100100 01100101 01111000 00100000 01001111 01100110 00100000 01010010 01100101 01100110 01110010 01100001 01100011 01110100 01101001 01101111 01101110 |
HTML Code (1990) (references)I n d e x   O f   R e f r a c t i o n |
ISO 10646 (1991-1993) (references)0049 006E 0064 0065 0078 004F 0066 0052 0065 0066 0072 0061 0063 0074 0069 006F 006E |
Encryption (beginner's substitution cypher): (references)438070719024972252717284676986758180 |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Images: Photo Album | 5. Expressions: Internet 6. Translations: Modern 7. Anagrams 8. Orthography | 9. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
