A ray of light passes through three media as shown. The speeds of light in these media obey: A) v₁ v₂ v₃ B) v₃ v₂ v₁ C) v₃ v₁ v₂ D) v₂ v₁ v₃ E) v₁ v₃ v₂

Question

A ray of light passes through three media as shown. The speeds of light in these media obey: A) v₁ > v₂ > v₃ B) v₃ > v₂ > v₁ C) v₃ > v₁ > v₂ D) v₂ > v₁ > v₃ E) v₁ > v₃ > v₂

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The speed of light is given by v = c/n where c is the speed of light in vacuum and n is the refractive index of the medium. As refractive index is inversely proportional to the speed of light, the medium with the highest refractive index will have the lowest speed of light. From the given values, we can see that v₃ has the highest refractive index and hence the lowest speed of light. Thus, option C is correct as it has v₃ > v₁ > v₂.

A Ray of Light Passes Through Three Media as Shown