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The refractive index of medium-3 with respect to medium-2, n₃₂, is equal to ________.

Asked in GSEB Board March 2022 · Snell's law, slabs and apparent depth

Answer: (3) n₃₁× n₁₂

Step-by-step solution

Given: three media, with the relative index written n_ij=(nᵢ)/(n_j).

Idea: write the wanted ratio in absolute indices and slip medium 1 in as a stepping stone.

n₃₂=(n₃)/(n₂)

Multiply and divide by n₁: (n₃)/(n₂)=(n₃)/(n₁)×(n₁)/(n₂)

The first factor is n₃₁ and the second is n₁₂.

So n₃₂=n₃₁× n₁₂ — medium 1 cancels, which is why light can be traced from 1 to 2 to 3 and the answer still depends only on 2 and 3.

Why the other options are wrong

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