SUBJECT: SCIENCE

CLASS: X

General Instructions
● The assignment is designed in such a way so as to facilitate students to comprehend the concepts properly
so that they can attempt the topic- related questions given at the end.
● These questions are designed and selected keeping in mind CBSE Board Exams.
● Students are expected to read page no 173-176 from their NCERT book before starting with the assignment
itself for better comprehension..

CH 10: LIGHT: REFLECTION AND REFRACTION

(HANDOUT-07)
● REFRACTIVE INDEX
The refractive index of a medium is defined as the ratio of speed of light in vacuum to the speed of light in
the medium. It is represented by n.
The refractive index of glass with respect to air is given by the relation.
In general, if a ray of light is passing from medium 1 to medium 2, then
𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑣𝑎𝑐𝑢𝑢𝑚
𝑅𝑒𝑓𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑥 = 𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑚

or 𝑛 = 𝑐
𝑣
Refractive index of the medium with respect to the vacuum is also called the absolute refractive index.
Relative Refractive Index: Refractive index of a medium with respect to another medium (not
air/vacuum) is called relative refractive index of medium.
Let the speed of light in medium 1 and medium 2 are v1 and v2 respectively. Then
𝑣1 𝑛2 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑖
Relative refractive index of medium 1 w.r.t. medium 2 is 𝑛 = = 𝑛 = 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑟
21 𝑣2 1
𝑣2 𝑛1 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑟
Relative refractive index of medium 2 w.r.t. medium 1 is 𝑛 = = 𝑛 = 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑖
12 𝑣1 2

The refractive index of a medium gives an indication of light bending ability of that medium
A refractive index is the ratio of two similar physical quantities, so it has no unit.
Factors on which the refractive index of a medium depends are:
(i) Nature of the media of incidence and refraction.
(ii) Colour of light or Wavelength of the light used 𝑛𝖺 1λ .
(iii) Temperature of the media: Refractive index decreases with the increase in temperature.
It may be noted that refractive index is a characteristic of the pair of the media and also depends on the
wavelength of light, but is independent of the angle of incidence.

1
 Physical significance of refractive Index:
The refractive index of a medium gives the following two information:
(i) The value of the refractive index gives information about the direction of bending of refracted rays. It tells
whether the ray will bend towards or away from the normal.
(ii) The refractive index of a medium is related to the speed of light. It is the ratio of the speed of light in
vacuum to that in the given medium. For example, the refractive index of glass is 3/2. This indicates that
the ratio of the speed of light in glass to that in vacuum is 2:3 or the speed of light in glass is two-third of its
speed in vacuum.
● CONDITION FOR NO REFRACTION :Refraction will not take place under the following two
conditions:
1. When light is incident normally on a boundary.
A ray of light traveling in medium 1 falls normally. Therefore angle of incidence, i =00. According to
Snell’s law.
𝑛 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑖
2
𝑛 = 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑟
1
𝑛
1
or 𝑛2
𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑖 = 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑟
𝑛
1
→ 𝑛2
𝑠𝑖𝑛0° = 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑟 = 0
So, r=0
Thus, there is no deviation in the ray at the boundary. Hence, no refraction occurs when light is incident
normally on a boundary of two media.
2. When the refractive indices of two media are equal.
When refractive index of medium 1 is equal to refractive index of medium 2 i.e. n1 = n2, then according to
𝑛2 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑖
𝑛 = 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑟 =1
1

i=r
Hence no refraction occurs at the boundary that separates two media of equal refractive indices.

Note: In a few books the refractive index is represented by the symbol μ (mu) also.
Absolute refractive index of some material media
Material medium Refractive index Material medium Refractive index
Air 1.0003 Canada Balsam 1.53
Ice 1.31 Rock salt 1.54
Water 1.33 Carbon disulphide 1.63
Alcohol 1.36 Fused quartz 1.46
Kerosene 1.44 Dense flint glass 1.65
Turpentine oil 1.47 Benzene 1.50
Ruby 1.71 Sapphire 1.77
Crown glass 1.52 Diamond 2.42

2
Real and Apparent Depth
If an object and observer are situated in different mediums then due to refraction, the object appears to be
displaced from its real position. There are two possible conditions.
(1) When object is in denser medium and observer is (1) Object is in rarer medium and observer is in denser
in rarer medium medium.

(2) 𝑅𝑒𝑓𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑥 = 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑡ℎ = ℎ (2) 𝑅𝑒𝑓𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑥 = 𝐴𝑝𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 = ℎ'
𝐴𝑝𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑡ℎ ℎ' 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑙 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 ℎ
Real depth >Apparent depth that's why a coin at the Real depth < Apparent depth that's why high flying
bottom of bucket (full of water) appears to be raised airplane appears to be higher than its actual height.
If a beaker contains various immiscible liquids as shown then
𝑑1 𝑑2 𝑑3
𝐴𝑝𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑏𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑜𝑚 = + + + ………….
µ µ µ
1 2 3

Video links:
Real Depth and Apparent Depth : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgZWf5WECq4
Determining Refractive Index Experiment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADN9Rph96NE

Notebook Work: Do the assignment in your notebook

Let’s write the answers of the Q1 to Q3 as one sentence or one word.

Q1. What is the unit of refractive index? Give a reason. (1)
Q2. For which colour the refractive index of glass is maximum and minimum? (1)
Q3. On which factors does the refractive index of a medium depend? (1)
Let’s solve the numerical type questions Q4 to Q7.
Q4. Velocity of light in glass whose refractive index with respect to air is 1.5 is 2 × 108 m / s and in (3)
certain liquid the velocity of light found to be 2.50 × 108 m / s. find the refractive index of the
liquid with respect to air .
Q5. The refractive index of glycerine is 1.46. What is the speed of light in air if its speed in glycerine (3)
8
is 2.05 x 10 m/s?
Q6. The refractive index of glass is 1.54 and the speed of light in air is 3x108 m/s. Calculate the speed (3)
of light in water?
Q7. The ratio of thickness of plates of two transparent mediums A and B is 6 : 4. If light takes equal (3)
time in passing through them, then find the refractive index of B with respect to A.