What is the effect of increasing the refractive index of a medium on the speed of light in that medium?

What is the effect of increasing the refractive index of a medium on the speed of light in that medium?

• A. The speed of light increases
• B. The speed of light decreases
• C. The speed of light remains constant
• D. The speed of light becomes variable

Answer: (B)

Increasing the refractive index of a medium results in a decrease in the speed of light when it passes through that medium. The refractive index is defined as the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to the speed of light in the medium. Mathematically, this relationship can be expressed as: \[ n = \frac{c}{v} \] where \( n \) is the refractive index, \( c \) is the speed of light in a vacuum, and \( v \) is the speed of light in the medium. As the refractive index increases, the value of \( v \) must decrease to maintain the equality since \( c \) is a constant. Therefore, when light enters a medium with a higher refractive index, it interacts more with the atoms in that medium, which leads to a lower velocity of light compared to its speed in a vacuum. This understanding is foundational in optics and is crucial for interpreting phenomena such as refraction and the bending of light as it passes from one medium into another.

Increasing the refractive index of a medium results in a decrease in the speed of light when it passes through that medium. The refractive index is defined as the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to the speed of light in the medium. Mathematically, this relationship can be expressed as:

[ n = \frac{c}{v} ]

where ( n ) is the refractive index, ( c ) is the speed of light in a vacuum, and ( v ) is the speed of light in the medium. As the refractive index increases, the value of ( v ) must decrease to maintain the equality since ( c ) is a constant.

Therefore, when light enters a medium with a higher refractive index, it interacts more with the atoms in that medium, which leads to a lower velocity of light compared to its speed in a vacuum. This understanding is foundational in optics and is crucial for interpreting phenomena such as refraction and the bending of light as it passes from one medium into another.