Calculate speed of light and report that in cell E16 Use the following relation: velocity of light in vacuum index of refraction n V velocity of light in the medium And treat velocity of light is vacuum same as the velocity of light in air:
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
To calculate the speed of light in a medium using the given relation, you need to use the following formula:V=cnV = \frac{c}{n}V=nc
Where:
- VVV is the speed of light in the medium (in meters per second).
- ccc is the speed of light in a vacuum (approximately 3.00×108 m/s3.00 \times 10^8 \, \text{m/s}3.00×108m/s).
- nnn is the index of refraction of the medium.
Steps:
- Speed of light in vacuum (c): The speed of light in a vacuum is a constant, approximately 3.00×108 m/s3.00 \times 10^8 \, \text{m/s}3.00×108m/s. Since the problem states that the speed of light in vacuum is the same as the speed of light in air, we will assume c=3.00×108 m/sc = 3.00 \times 10^8 \, \text{m/s}c=3.00×108m/s.
- Index of refraction (n): The index of refraction, nnn, is a dimensionless number that describes how light propagates through the medium. For example, the index of refraction for air is about n=1.0003n = 1.0003n=1.0003 and for water, it is about n=1.33n = 1.33n=1.33.
- Calculation: If we substitute the values into the formula, the velocity of light in the medium VVV can be calculated. For instance, if the medium is air and n=1.0003n = 1.0003n=1.0003, then:
V=3.00×108 m/s1.0003≈2.999×108 m/sV = \frac{3.00 \times 10^8 \, \text{m/s}}{1.0003} \approx 2.999 \times 10^8 \, \text{m/s}V=1.00033.00×108m/s≈2.999×108m/s
This shows that the speed of light in air is slightly less than the speed of light in a vacuum due to the small index of refraction for air.
- Implementation in Excel:
- In Excel, to calculate the speed of light in a medium, you would enter the formula
=3E8/E16(assuming E16E16E16 contains the value of nnn).
- In Excel, to calculate the speed of light in a medium, you would enter the formula
Explanation:
The speed of light in a medium is always slower than the speed of light in a vacuum, depending on the index of refraction. The index of refraction measures how much light bends when passing through the medium. The higher the index of refraction, the slower the light travels in that medium.
