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How does the average speed of light in glass compare with its speed in a vacuum?

User OriolAbril
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1 Answer

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Answer:

the speed of light in glass is 1.52 times smaller than in a vacuum

Step-by-step explanation:

The speed of light in a medium is given by:


v=(c)/(n)

where

c is the speed of light in a vacuum

n is the refractive index of the medium, which is a number always greater than 1.0

From the formula, we see therefore that when light enters a medium, its speed decreases.

In particular, for glass the index of refraction is

n = 1.52

Therefore, this means that the speed of light in glass is 1.52 times smaller than in a vacuum.

User Lorenzoff
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