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A magician during a show makes a glass lens with refractive index n=1.5 disappear in a trough of liquid. The refractive index of liquid = ______.

Asked in GSEB Board March 2022 · Lens maker's formula and power

Answer: (3) 1.5

Step-by-step solution

Idea: a lens is seen only because light is refracted and partly reflected where its refractive index differs from that of the surroundings.

In a medium the lens maker's formula carries the factor ((nₗₑₙₛ)/(n_medium)-1).

That factor is zero when n_medium=nₗₑₙₛ; then 1/f=0 and the lens has infinite focal length.

The glass has n=1.5, so the liquid must also have n=1.5.

Light then passes straight through the trough and the lens cannot be seen, although it is still there.

Why the other options are wrong

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