The refractive index of crown glass is close to 3/2. If the speed of light in air is c, then the speed of light in the crown glass will be close to
- A.(3/2)c
- B.(4/9)c
- C.(2/3)c
- D.(9/4)c
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, (2/3)c. Refractive index is the ratio of the speed of light in air to its speed in the medium, so the speed in glass is c divided by 3/2, which is (2/3)c.
The absolute refractive index of a medium is n = c/v, where c is the speed of light in vacuum (almost the same in air, about 300,000 km/s) and v is its speed in the medium. A larger refractive index means light travels more slowly. With n = 1.5 for crown glass, v = c/1.5 = 200,000 km/s. Water (n about 1.33) slows light to about 225,000 km/s, and diamond (n about 2.42) to about 124,000 km/s, which is why diamond sparkles so strongly.
A is wrong because (3/2)c would be faster than light in vacuum, which no medium allows. B is wrong because (4/9)c comes from dividing by the square of the refractive index. D is wrong because (9/4)c multiplies by the square and is also faster than c.
Exam tip: n = c/v; the denser the medium optically, the slower the light: glass 200,000 km/s, water 225,000 km/s.
Practice Questions
View allThe fact that the planets move around the Sun, not in circles but in ellipses, was first demonstrated by
- A.Galileo
- B.Martin Luther
- C.Johannes Kepler
- D.Copernicus
Show answer
In 1609 Kepler showed that the planets move around the Sun in elliptical orbits, with the Sun at one focus of the ellipse.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements is correct?
- A.Urea is produced in liver.
- B.Urea is produced in blood.
- C.Urea is produced from digestion of starch.
- D.Urea is produced in lung and kidney.
Show answer
Liver cells turn the toxic ammonia released from the breakdown of amino acids into urea through the ornithine cycle, also called the urea cycle.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following is the correct sequence of passage of light in a compound microscope?
- A.Condenser-Objective lens-Eyepiece-Body tube
- B.Objective lens-Condenser-Body tube-Eyepiece
- C.Condenser-Objective lens-Body tube-Eyepiece
- D.Eyepiece-Objective lens-Body tube-Mirror
Show answer
Light passes through the condenser to the specimen, is picked up by the objective lens, travels up the body tube and reaches the eye through the eyepiece.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements regarding haemoglobin is correct?
- A.Haemoglobin present in RBC can carry only oxygen but not carbon dioxide.
- B.Haemoglobin of RBC can carry both oxygen and carbon dioxide.
- C.Haemoglobin of RBC can carry only carbon dioxide.
- D.Haemoglobin is only used for blood clotting and not for carrying gases.
Show answer
It binds oxygen at its iron-containing haem groups and carries some carbon dioxide on its protein chains. Each haemoglobin molecule has four polypeptide chains and four haem groups, and each haem iron can hold one oxygen molecule, forming oxyhaemoglobin in the lungs.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following statements regarding histone proteins is correct?
- A.Histones are proteins that are present in mitochondrial membrane.
- B.Histones are proteins that are present in nucleus in association with DNA.
- C.Histones are proteins associated with lipids in the cytosol.
- D.Histones are proteins associated with carbohydrates in the cytosol.
Show answer
They are the proteins around which DNA winds to form chromatin in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells. Histones are small basic proteins, rich in the positively charged amino acids lysine and arginine, which attract the negatively charged phosphate groups of DNA.
Read the full explanation →