Question

What is the unit of the refractive index?

Answer 1

Determine the unit of the refractive index.

1. The Refractive Index (Index of Refraction) is a number computed from the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to that in a second medium with greater density. The formula for refractive index is

$\mathit{\eta }\mathbf{=}\frac{\mathbf{c}}{\mathbf{v}}$

Where

• $n=$refractive index
• $c=$ the velocity of light in a vacuum $(3\times {10}^8\frac{m}{s})$
• $v=$the velocity of light in a substance

Hence, there is no unit of the refractive index.