Three transparent media 1, 2 and 3 are arranged so that light travels from medium 1…

PHYSICS · Multi-part · CBSE · Physics · Light — Reflection and Refraction · Light — Reflection and Refraction

Problem

Three transparent media 1, 2 and 3 are arranged so that light travels from medium 1 to medium 3 through medium 2. Given data: • Relative refractive index of medium 3 with respect to medium 1,

n_{31}=\dfrac{3}{2}.

• Relative refractive index of medium 2 with respect to medium 3,

n_{23}=\dfrac{4}{3}.

• Speed of light in medium 1 is

2.00\times10^{8}\,\text{m s}^{-1}

. (i) Write in words what the numerical value

n_{31}=\dfrac{3}{2}

signifies about the speeds of light in media 1 and 3. (ii) Derive an expression for the relative refractive index

n_{21}

in terms of

n_{31}

and

n_{23}

. (iii) Calculate the numerical value of

n_{21}

. (iv) Find the speed of light in medium 2. Express the answer to three significant figures.

Related theory

Refractive Index
Refraction
Refraction and total internal reflection
Optics
Waves
Light
Light — Reflection and Refraction

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