Question

The speed of light in vaccum is 3 x 10⁸ m/s. If the speed of light in a medium is 2.25 x 10⁸ m/s, the absolute refractive index of the medium is ______.

Options

• `7/6`

• `5/4`

• `4/3`

• `3/2`

Answer 1

The speed of light in vaccum is 3 x 10⁸ m/s. If the speed of light in a medium is 2.25 x 10⁸ m/s, the absolute refractive index of the medium is `bbunderline(4/3)`.

Explanation:

The refractive index (n) of a medium is defined as the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum (c) to the speed of light in that medium (v). Mathematically, it can be expressed as:

`n = c/v`

Given that the speed of light in a vacuum (c) is 3 x 10⁸ m/s and the speed of light in the medium (v) is 2.25 x 10⁸ m/s. The refractive index:

= `(3 × 10^8  "m/s")/(2.25 × 10^8  "m/s")`

= `4/3`

Therefore, the refractive index (n) of the medium is `4/3`.