Question:medium

Light enters from air to glass having refractive index 1.50. What is the speed of light in the glass? The speed of light in vacuum is 3 × 108 m s−1.

Updated On: Jan 13, 2026
Show Solution

Solution and Explanation

The refractive index of a medium (nm) is defined as the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum (c) to the speed of light in the medium (v):
\(n_m = \frac{c}{v}\)
Given that the speed of light in a vacuum is c = 3 × 108 m s−1 and the refractive index of glass is ng = 1.50.
The speed of light in glass (v) can be calculated using the formula:
\(v=\frac{c}{n_g}\)

\(=\frac{3\times10^8}{1.50}\)
\(=2\times10^8\) ms-1

Was this answer helpful?
4