Question

A ray of light in air strikes the flat surface of a liquid, resulting in a reflected ray and a refracted ray. If the angle of reflection is known, what additional information is needed in order to determine the relative refractive index of the liquid compared to air?

Answer 1

Angle of refraction.

Step-by-step explanation:

Refractive index is given as the ratio of the angle of incidence to the angle of refraction.

If angle of incidence is i and the refractive index of the incident medium is n₁ , and if angle of refraction is r and refractive index of the refracting medium is n₂,

according to Snell's law, n₁ sin i = n₂ sin r,

relative refractive index = sin i / sin r