You are given kerosene, turpentine and water. In which of these does the light travel fastest? Use the information given in Table.
$refractive index of some material media$

Question

A light ray is passing from air (refractive index $ \mu_1 = 1.0 $) into water (refractive index $ \mu_2 = 1.33 $). If the angle of incidence in air is 30°, what is the angle of refraction in water?

Answer 1

The speed of light in a medium is determined by its refractive index (n_m), according to the formula: $n_m = \frac{\text{Speed of light in air }}{\text{Speed of light in the medium}} =\frac{ c }{v}$

$⇒v=\frac{c}{n_m}$

$⇒ v∝\frac{1}{n_m}$
This indicates that light travels slowest in materials with the highest refractive index and fastest in materials with the lowest refractive index. Observing the provided table, kerosene has a refractive index of 1.44, turpentine has 1.47, and water has 1.33. Consequently, light propagates most rapidly through water.

You are given kerosene, turpentine and water. In which of these does the light travel fastest? Use the information given in Table.
$refractive index of some material media$

Solution and Explanation

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