Name two factors on which the refractive index of a medium depends? State how does it depend on the factors stated by you.

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The two factors on which the refractive index of a medium depends are:

1) Nature of a medium i.e. its optical density (e.g. μ g = 1.5, μ w = 1.33) - Smaller the speed of light in a medium relative to air, higher is the refractive index of that medium.

2) Physical condition such as temperature - with increase in temperature, the speed of light in medium increases, so the refractive index of medium decreases.

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