Practice portal › Ray Optics and Optical Instruments › Refraction and Total Internal Reflection

One face of a rectangular glass plate 6 cm thick is silvered. An object held 8 cm in front of the first face, forms an image 12 cm behind the silvered face. The refractive index of the glass is

Asked in CBSE AIPMT 1996 · Snell's law, slabs and apparent depth

Answer: (3) 1.2

Step-by-step solution

Given: a plate t=6 cm thick with its back face silvered; the object is 8 cm in front of the plate and the image lies 12 cm behind the silvered face.

Idea: seen through the glass, the silvered face seems nearer than it is, at an apparent depth y=t/μ; the silvering then behaves as a plane mirror sitting at that apparent position.

The object stands y+8 in front of that apparent mirror, so its image lies y+8 behind it.

Measured from the front face, the image is therefore at y+(y+8)=2y+8.

The image is 12 cm behind the silvered face, which is 12+6=18 cm behind the front face.

2y+8=18, so y=5 cm.

μ=t/y=6/5=1.2

Why the other options are wrong

More Refraction and Total Internal Reflection questionsAll Refraction and Total Internal Reflection questions →

Reading this solution needs no sign-in. You only sign in to practise against the clock and keep your progress.

Practise this with a timer