You are given kerosene, turpentine and water. In which of these does the light travel fastest? Use the information given in Table.
You are given kerosene, turpentine and water. In which of these does the light travel fastest? Use the information given in Table.
| Material medium | Refractive index | Material medium | Refractive index |
| Air | 1.0003 | Canada Balsam | 1.53 |
| Ice | 1.31 | ||
| Water | 1.33 | Rock salt | 1.54 |
| Alcohol | 1.36 | ||
| Kerosene | 1.44 | Carbon disulphide | 1.63 |
| Fused quartz | 1.46 | Dense flint glass | 1.65 |
| Turpentine oil | 1.47 | Ruby | 1.71 |
| Benzene | 1.50 | Sapphire | 1.77 |
Ans
Speed of light in a medium is given by the relation for refractive index
(nm). The relation is given as
It can be inferred from the relation that light will travel the slowest in the
material which has the highest refractive index and travel the fastest in the
material which has the lowest refractive index.
It can be observed from table 10.3 that the refractive indices of kerosene,
turpentine, and water are 1.44, 1.47, and 1.33 respectively. Therefore, light
travels the fastest in water.
