Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
Red light of wavelength nm in air enters a pool of water of refractive index . Use m/s. Find the frequency of the light in the water, its speed in the water and its wavelength in the water.
A wavefront is a surface of equal phase, and a ray is at right angles to it. In a medium of index the speed is and the wavelength is , while the frequency stays the same. Snell's law follows from Huygens' construction.
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Given. nm, and m/s.
Plan. The frequency is the same in air and in water. We find it in air, and then the speed and the wavelength in water.
Step 1. The frequency. .
Step 2. The speed. .
Step 3. The wavelength. .
Answer: Hz; m/s; nm.
Check. , which is the speed.
Watch out. The eye sees the colour by the frequency, so a swimmer sees the same red colour under water.
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