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What happens to the speed of light when it travels from air into water?
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
the speed of light never changes but when the light beam goes from air to water, it refracts. this is when the light beam alters direction because it hits an object of greater or less density (in this case it is higher).
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoNo, light does not travel at the same speed in air and water. The speed of light is its speed in vacuo, which is in a vacuum. In other substances, refraction makes light slow down.
Speed of light depends upon how dense the medium is. So depending on density of the transparent media, it can slow light to a greater or lesser degree
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoNo. The speed of light in water is slower than the speed in air
Wiki User
∙ 10y agoYes. And radio, heat, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays
also all travel at that same speed.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoIt slows down.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoIt is greater.
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Does light travel faster or slower when it travels in a medium?
Light travels slower through a medium. Generaly the dencer the medium the slower light travels. Light travels fastest through a vacuum assuming its speed is not being affected by gravity which also affects the speed of light. Examples. A very very thick piece of glass will appear thinner than it actually is and a streight stick will appear to bend if put into water at an angle.
Light travel faster in water or kerosene?
The speed of light in water is approx 225,400,000 metres per second. Its speed in kerosene is 215,700,000 metres per seconds. So it travels around 4.5% faster in water.
Does the speed of light differ?
The speed of light is different in different media; light travels more slowly in water than it does in air, for example.
In what medium the speed of light will be minimum?
The speed of light is a set speed at which all electromagnetic waves travel at in a vacuum. It is 3*10^8 meters/second... That being said, when light, or any other EM wave, travels through a medium it will slow down. Every material has an index of refraction which is the ratio of the speed at which light travels in a vacuum, to the the speed it travels in that material. If you know the index of refraction, you can use Snell's law to determine the speed light will travel through a specific medium. Every medium is different, however a rule of thumb is the denser the medium, the slower light will travel through it. For example, light travels faster in the atmoshpere than it does in water.
Is the speed of light the same in every medium?
No, depending on the matter, speed of light can vary. It's speed is inversely proportional to the viscosity of the matter. It travels the fastest through Vacuum>>Air>>Liquids>>Solids.
Does light speed up as it travels through water?
No, light does not speed up in water, it slows down.
Why is it important to explain the speed of light together with the medium in which the light travels?
The speed of light is dependent on the medium it travels through. Light travels fastest in a vacuum than in water or air.
What happens when light bends and travels through water?
The speed of light though substances is slower than the speed of light in a vacuum. As the light passes from air to water it slows and the ray's path is translated towards the normal to the air/water interface slightly.
Is the speed of light greater or lesser in air than in water?
The speed is the same. Light travels at a finite speed.
What happens to colors as light travels in water?
They disperse.
Where will be speed of light minimum-water or air or vacuum or glass?
The speed of light is minimum in Glass. It is because light travels at minimum speed in solids.
What happens to the speed of the light as it travels from the air through the glass and then through the water?
The light refracts due to the change in speed. The change in speed occurs because the light is travelling through a denser medium. So it will travel fastest through the air and slowest through the glass
What happens when light travels to air to water?
The speed of the light wave slows Some light is reflected off the surface of the water The light that enters the water is "refracted" (the direction of propagation changes due to the different indexes of refraction in air and water) Eventually the water will absorb all the energy of the light if the water is deep enough
What happens to the speed of light as it moves from water into air?
The speed increases.
Why is the statement the speed of light is 300 milllon miles per sec not always correct?
The speed of light, which is about 300,000,000 m/s, can be affected by the material that it is travelling through. Mediums such as air, glass, and water can slow light down. For example, in water, light travels at a speed of about 200,249,000m/s; in ammonia gas, it travels at 221,200,000m/s; and in ethanol, it travels 220,400,000m/s.
How many miles per hour light travels?
Light travels at a speed of 186,000 miles per second or 669,600,000 miles per hour. Light travels somewhat slower when it is "in" something, such as glass or water.
What happens to the speed and wavelenght and frequency of a wave when it reaches the boundary between two media?
Frequency never changes since it depends only on source. Speed can either increase or decrease, depending on the direction of travel of light. This would cause an increase or decrease in wavelength respectively. Speed increases when light travels from an optically denser medium to an optically less dense one. (For example, when light travels from water to air) Speed decreases when light travels from an optically less dense medium to an optically denser medium.
