convertimate Refractive index

Speed of light in it to refractive index

Type a value in km/s to get it in n instantly.

1.499n

That's 1.12× as dense as water, while window glass is 1.01× higher. Light travels 1.5 times slower inside it.

What it means

How much does it bend light?

Index depends on wavelength — that is what makes a prism work. Published values are usually for the yellow sodium line at 589 nm.

The math

How to convert km/s to n

From the index: the speed inside is c ÷ n, the critical angle is arcsin(1 ÷ n), Brewster’s angle is arctan(n), and the head-on reflectance is ((n − 1) ÷ (n + 1))².

Example: 200,000 km/s = 1.49896 n.

Every unit

Your index in every unit

Tables

km/s to n conversion table

km/s to n conversion table
km/sn
88,200 km/s3.39901 n
124,000 km/s2.41768 n
150,000 km/s1.99862 n
169,000 km/s1.77392 n
187,000 km/s1.60317 n
200,000 km/s1.49896 n
205,000 km/s1.4624 n
225,000 km/s1.33241 n
229,000 km/s1.30914 n
250,000 km/s1.19917 n
n to km/s conversion table
n to km/s conversion table
nkm/s
1.0003 n299,703 km/s
1.2 n249,827 km/s
1.31 n228,849 km/s
1.33 n225,408 km/s
1.46 n205,337 km/s
1.5 n199,862 km/s
1.6 n187,370 km/s
1.77 n169,374 km/s
2 n149,896 km/s
2.42 n123,881 km/s
3.4 n88,174.3 km/s

Quick answers

Quick answers

How many n is 1 km/s?
1 km/s is 299,792 n.
How many n is 10 km/s?
10 km/s is 29,979.2 n.
How many n is 200,000 km/s?
200,000 km/s is 1.49896 n.

The units

About these units

Speed of light in it (km/s)

The actual speed inside, in kilometers per second.

Refractive index (n)

How many times slower light travels in the material.

Learn more about index units

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