To find the speed of light in ethyl alcohol, we can use the formula:
v = c/n
where:
- v is the speed of light in the medium (ethyl alcohol),
- c is the speed of light in a vacuum (approximately 299,792,458 meters per second), and
- n is the index of refraction.
Given that the index of refraction of ethyl alcohol is 1.36, we can plug in the values:
v = 299,792,458 m/s / 1.36
Calculating this gives:
v ≈ 220,000,000 meters per second
Therefore, the speed of light in ethyl alcohol is approximately 220 million meters per second.
This reduction in speed compared to light in a vacuum is due to the interactions between light and the molecules in the alcohol, which causes light to be ‘slowed down’ as it passes through.