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The refractive index of glass is 1.53. What is the speed of light in glass? (Speed of light in vacuum is 3×10⁸ m s⁻¹.)

Asked in GSEB Board July 2023 · Snell's law, slabs and apparent depth

Answer: (4) 1.96×10⁸ m/s

Step-by-step solution

Given: n = 1.53 for the glass and c = 3×10⁸ m s⁻¹.

Idea: the refractive index is defined as n = c/v, so v = c/n: light is slower in the medium, by the factor n.

v = (3×10⁸)/(1.53)

v = 1.96×10⁸ m/s.

Quick size check: n is a little over 1.5, so the answer should be a little under two thirds of c, and it is.

So light travels through this glass at 1.96×10⁸ m/s.

Why the other options are wrong

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