Q.1. Light travels through water with a speed of 2.25 x 108 m/s. What is the refractive index of water?

Q.2. Light travels from rarer medium 1 to a denser medium 2. The angle of incident and refraction are
respectively 450 and 300. Calculate the (i) refractive index of second medium with respect to the first
medium and (ii) refractive index of medium 1 with respect to the medium 2.

Q.3. A pond of depth 20 cm is filled with water of refractive index 4/3. Calculate apparent depth of the
tank when viewed normally.

Q.4. How much time will light take to cross 2 mm thick glass pane if refractive index of glasses is 3/2?

Q.5. Calculate speed of light in water of refractive index 4/3.

Q.6. A ray of light passes from air to glass (n = 1.5) at an angle of 300. Calculate the angle of refraction.

Q.7. A ray of light is incident on a glass slab at an angle of 450. If refractive index of glass be 1.6, what is
the angle of refraction?

Q.8. The refractive index of diamond is 2.47 and that of glass is 1.51. How much faster does light travel
in glass than in diamond?

Q.9. The refractive index of glycerine is 1.46. What is the speed of light in air in air if its speed in
glycerine is 2.05 x 108 m/s?

Q.10. The refractive index of glass is 1.6 and that of diamond is 2.4. Calculate (i) refractive index of
diamond with respect to glass and (ii) refractive index of glass with respect to diamond.
Q.11. A ray of light is travelling from glass to air. The angle of incidence in glass is 300 and angle of
refraction in air is 600. What is the refractive index of glass w.r.t air?

Q.12. A ray of light is travelling from air to water. What is the angle of incidence in air, if angle of
refraction in water is 450? Take refractive index of water = 1.32

Q.13. A water tank appears to be 4 m deep when viewed from the top. If refractive index of water is 4/3,
what is the actual depth of the tank?

Q.14. What is the real depth of a swimming pool when its bottom appears to be raised by 1 m? Given
refractive index of water is 4/3.

Q.15. A jar 15 cm long is filled with a transparent liquid. When viewed from the top, its bottom appears
to be 12 cm below. What is the refractive index of the liquid?

Numerical Problems Optics ( Refractive Index)

Question

1. Refractive index of glass is 1.5. If the speed of light in vacuum is 3 X 108

m/s, find velocity of light in medium.

Solution: Refractive index, µ = C / v

= Velocity of light in vacuum / Velocity of light in medium

v=C/µ

= 3 X 108 / 1.5

= 2 X 10 m/s. (Ans.)

Question

2. Speed of light in glass is 2 X 108 m/s. Find the refractive index of glass.
Solution: Refractive Index of glass (µ) = C / v

= 3 X 108 / 2 X 108

= 1.5 (Ans.)

Question

3. If active index of water is 4/3 and that of glass is 3/2. Find the refractive index of glass w.r.t. water.

Solution: µw = 4/3, µg = 3/2

Refractive index of glass w.r.t. water ( wµg ) = aµg / aµw

= 3/2 / 4/3

= 3/2 X 3/4

= 9/8 (Ans.)

Question

4. An object at the bottom of a beaker filled with a liquid up to height of 10 cm. If the refractive index of
liquid w.r.t. air ( aµw ) is 4/3, find the apparent depth of the object.

Solution: Real depth = 10 cm

aµw = 4/3

µ = Real depth / Apparent depth

4/3 = 10 / Apparent depth

Apparent depth = 10 X 3 / 4

= 30 / 4

= 7. 5 cm (Ans.)
Multiple Choice Questions:

1. The refractive index of a material depends upon

(a) Temperature (b) Wavelength of light

(c) Nature of the material (d) All the above

2. When light travels from glass to water separated by a sharp boundary then it

(a) proceeds undeviated (b) bends towards the normal

(c) bends away from the normal (d) is reflected back

3. A cut diamond sparkles because of

(a) it's hardness

(b) it's high refractive index and small value of the critical angle

(c) it's high refractive index and high value of the critical angle

(d) it's very low refractive index

4.Velocity of light is maximum in

(a) diamond (b) water

(c) glass (d) vacuum

5. Refractive index of glass with respect to air is 1.9. What is the refractive index of air with respect to
glass

(a) 1 (b) 1.9

(c) 0.523 (d) 0.776

6. The cause of twinkling of stars is :

(a) periodic bursts of light from the stars

(b) interference of sunlight with the star light

(c) partial absorption of light in the atmosphere

(d) refractive index fluctuation in the atmosphere

7. When a light ray travels from air to water separated by a sharp boundary it:

(a) proceeds undeviated

(b) bends towards the normal

(c) bends away from the normal

(d) is totally internally reflected

8.The sun becomes visible before the actual sunrise and remains visible even after the actual sunset. It is
because of

(a) scattering of light

(b) diffraction of light

(c) refraction of light

(d) dispersion of light

9. just before setting, the sun may appear to be elliptical. This happens due to

(a) reflection (b) refraction

(c) dispersion (d) diffraction

10. The refractive index of glass with respect to air is 3/2. The refractive index of air with respect to glass
is :

(a) 3/1 (b) 3/2

(c) 2/3 (d) 1/3

Answers :

1. d

2. c

3. b

4. d

5. c

6. d

7. b

8. c

9. b

10. c