When light passes from vacuum (index of refraction n = 1) into water (n = 1.333)…
Check your answer: B. the wavelength decreases and the frequency is unchanged.
Practice 15.1.2
A source emits monochromatic light of wavelength 495 nm in air. When the light passes through a liquid, its wavelength reduces to 434 nm. What is the liquid’s index of refraction?
Check your answer: C. 1.14
Practice 15.1.3
The speed of light in any material is slower for shorter wavelengths, so the index of refraction is greater for light of shorter wavelengths. For example, for a type of glass called crown glass, n = 1.50 for red light, and n = 1.53 for violet light, which has a shorter wavelength than red light. Lenses in a camera use refraction to form an image on a film. Ideally, you want all the colors in the light from the object being photographed to be refracted by the same amount. Of the materials shown in the figure, which should you choose for a camera lens?
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