Question

The speed of an electromagnetic wave traveling in a transparent nonmagnetic substance is v = 1/ κμ0ε0 , where κ is the dielectric constant of the substance. Determine the speed of light in water, which has a dielectric constant of 1.78 at optical frequencies.

Answer 1

Answer:

$v=2.24\times 10^{8}\ m/s$

Explanation:

Given that,

The speed of an electromagnetic wave traveling in a transparent nonmagnetic substance is given by :

$v=\dfrac{1}{\sqrt{k\mu_o\epsilon_o}}$

Where

k is the dielectric constant of the substance.

v is the speed of light in water

$c=\dfrac{1}{\sqrt{1.78\times 4\pi \times 10^{-7}\times 8.85\times 10^{-12}}}$

$v=2.24\times 10^{8}\ m/s$

So, the speed of light in water is $2.24\times 10^{8}\ m/s$