Wavelength changes

[Mbeas]

So i know this is probably an easy question for yall, but ive read conflicting information so im looking for another opinion....

What happens to the wavelength going from a low index of refraction to high index of refraction?

What happens to the wavelength going from a low density to a high density fluid?

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[PiBond]

So i know this is probably an easy question for yall, but ive read conflicting information so im looking for another opinion....

What happens to the wavelength going from a low index of refraction to high index of refraction?

What happens to the wavelength going from a low density to a high density fluid?

as the speed of light is reduced in a medium with a higher index of refraction its wavelength is shortened. same is true for the second question

 

[loveoforganic]

There's no direct realtionship between density and index of refraction, is there?

 

[TobiasFunkeMDFACS]

going from a low to a high index, the angle of refraction gets smaller. The velocity of increases according to the formula n1*v1=n2*v2 (snell's law)

 

[Mbeas]

going from a low to a high index, the angle of refraction gets smaller. The velocity of increases according to the formula n1*v1=n2*v2 (snell's law)

hmm....i feel like the velocity would DECREASE if "n" gets larger, leading to a decreased wavelength.

Any other opinions?

 

[RemyArgo]

hmm....i feel like the velocity would DECREASE if "n" gets larger, leading to a decreased wavelength.

Any other opinions?

n1 v1 = n2 v2
f w = v

assume freq. is constant.

as n increases (i assume you mean n1 < n2) , velocity decreases (v1 > v2)

as velocity decreases (v2) , wavelength increases

another way to look at it-

since we're interested in v2 and w2
(f*w) = ( [n1*v1] / n2)
since v2 = [n1*v1] / n2
this says that as n2 increases, f or w should decrease. since f is held constant, w decreases

Also, i don't think there's a precise correlation, but (and I could be wrong here) there should be a general, proportional relationship between the index or refraction and density; as things get denser, there are more molecules/things for the incoming wave to "bump" into, taking a more tangental route and increasing the time necessary getting from point A to B.

 

[Lokhtar]

Temperature also affects the refractive index, as does the frequency of light. In both cases, we assume standard temperature and light (yellow light).

The density correlation is a bit misleading because you can actually have negative refraction (which wouldn't make sense in a density based explanation), and there are certain materials where density does not correlate with higher refraction.