Question

If in a medium, the speed of light is 1.5 × 10⁸ m/s how much will the absolute refractive index of that medium be?

If the speed of light in a medium is 1.5 × 10⁸ m/s, what is the absolute refractive index of the medium?

Answer 1

Absolute refractive index of a medium μ = `"Speed of light in vaccum"/ "Speed of light in the medium"`
⇒ μ = `(3 xx 10^8)/(1.5 xx 10^8) = 2`

Answer 2

Given: Speed of light in medium (v₂) = 1.5 × 10⁸ m/s,
velocity of light in vacuum (v₁) = 3 × 10⁸ m/s

To find: Absolute refractive index (n)

Formula: n = `v_1/v_2`

Calculation: From the formula,

n = `(3 xx 10^8)/(1.5 xx 10^8)` = 2

∴ The absolute refractive index of the medium is 2.