It is not, so the question is based on a fundamental misunderstanding.
It is because the index is related to the velocity of light in air (ideally vacuum) and the medium in question. Since the velocity of light in vacuum is greater than it can be in any other media, the index of refraction of these other media relative to the vacuum is greater than 1.However, if you studied light travelling through glass and then water, the index of refraction between those two would be 0.89 (approx).
This is called the index of refraction. When light crosses the boundary between mediums (media) with different indices, it is bent (refracted).It's usually defined the other way around ... the ratio of the speed of light in vacuum to its speed in the medium. Since the speed of light is greater in vacuum than in any medium, the number is always greater than 1. It's referred to as the "refractive index" of the medium.
The angle of incidence is greater.
Crystaline sugar (sucrose) has a refractive index of around 1.56. Sugar solutions can have refractive indices greater than this. Note, that the refractive index of a substance can even be determined for opaque substances. This is because the RI also determines reflective properties. So by measuring the amount of light reflected by light shining on a polished sample at a given angle, a refractive index can in principle be obtained.
Yes, a prime number is always greater than 1.
It is because the index is related to the velocity of light in air (ideally vacuum) and the medium in question. Since the velocity of light in vacuum is greater than it can be in any other media, the index of refraction of these other media relative to the vacuum is greater than 1.However, if you studied light travelling through glass and then water, the index of refraction between those two would be 0.89 (approx).
how can the path of a light ray be affected once it enters a nonzero angle with a greater index of refraction
The index of refraction tells you by which factor the speed of light in the medium is slower than in a vacuum. This value is 1 for a vacuum, and a number greater than 1 for other media. The exact value depends on the medium.
The angle of incidence is always greater than the angle of refraction. The refractive index of glass is greater than that of air, so the speed of light in air is more than the speed of light in glass. Therefore it slows down and bends towards the normal.
The amount of refraction depends on the difference in density between two mediums. So, the amount of refraction a material has, or it's refraction index, is the amount light will bend as it goes from medium into another medium. For instance, Vacuum is considered to have a refraction index of 1 and all other materials being denser than vacuum will naturally have a larger refraction index, they bend light more. So, it simply means that- since the object has a high density it will slow down light by a greater amount.
No. This would imply that the speed of light in that medium was greater than the speed of light in a vacuum, which is physically impossible according to the theory of relativity. The relative index of refraction can be negative... that is, the speed in the medium may be faster than the speed in the surrounding environment... but the absolute IR cannot be negative.
A medium with a higher index of refraction, like diamond, is more dense than the medium with a lower index of refraction, like air. If the ray of light is moving from the less dense medium (lower index of refraction), to a more dense (higher index of refraction) the ray of light bends TOWARDS the normal.
Index Of Refraction
The amount of refraction depends on the difference in density between two mediums. So, the amount of refraction a material has, or it's refraction index, is the amount light will bend as it goes from medium into another medium. For instance, Vacuum is considered to have a refraction index of 1 and all other materials being denser than vacuum will naturally have a larger refraction index, they bend light more. So, it simply means that- since the object has a high density it will slow down light by a greater amount.
When a light ray is incident on a boundary of greater density than the current medium, the reflected ray undergoes a 180 degree phase change
Greater than 1.0Generally, values can be any number greater than 1.0 (which is the refractive index of a vacuum). They are generally listed as real numbers, but in fact can have an imaginary component. They can in fact also be negative, but that's only for very special materials, and not at all common. Any normal material will not have an index of refraction less than 1.
Short Answer:When light travels from one medium to another, the speed changes according to the index of refraction.Explanation:The speed of light is different in each different medium. Only in a vacuum does it reach its natural speed of 300,000 kilometers/second.We assign the speed of light in a vacuum the letter c.c=300,000 kilometers/second.Every medium which transmits light is characterized by a quantity called the index of refraction.We assign the index of refraction the letter n.n=indexof refraction.n is different for every different material and always greater than 1.The speed of light in a material is given by v=c/n.Velocity equals the speed of light in a vacuum divided by the index of refraction of the material.The speed of light in a material is always slower than in a vacuum.When light travels from one medium to another, the speed changes according to the index of refraction.