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NEET
Exam
NEET
Subject
Physics
Chapter
Electromagnetic Waves

NEET · Physics · Electromagnetic Waves

An electromagnetic wave has a wavelength λ_0 in vacuum. It enters a...

An electromagnetic wave has a wavelength λ0\lambda_0 in vacuum. It enters a material medium of relative permittivity ϵr\epsilon_r and relative permeability μr\mu_r. The wavelength of the wave in this medium will be:

Options

  1. Aλ0μrϵr\dfrac{\lambda_0}{\sqrt{\mu_r \epsilon_r}}
  2. Bλ0μrϵr\lambda_0 \sqrt{\mu_r \epsilon_r}
  3. Cλ0ϵrμr\lambda_0 \sqrt{\dfrac{\epsilon_r}{\mu_r}}
  4. Dλ0\lambda_0

Correct answer

A. λ0μrϵr\dfrac{\lambda_0}{\sqrt{\mu_r \epsilon_r}}

Step-by-step solution

When an electromagnetic wave travels from one medium to another, its frequency (ff) remains constant.

The speed of the wave in vacuum is c=fλ0c = f \lambda_0, and in the medium it is v=fλv = f \lambda.

Therefore, the wavelength in the medium is directly proportional to the wave speed:
λ=λ0(vc)\lambda = \lambda_0 \left(\dfrac{v}{c}\right)

The speed of light in a medium is given by v=cμrϵrv = \dfrac{c}{\sqrt{\mu_r \epsilon_r}}.

Substituting this into the wavelength equation yields:
λ=λ0(1μrϵr)=λ0μrϵr\lambda = \lambda_0 \left( \dfrac{1}{\sqrt{\mu_r \epsilon_r}} \right) = \dfrac{\lambda_0}{\sqrt{\mu_r \epsilon_r}}

Answer: λ0μrϵr\dfrac{\lambda_0}{\sqrt{\mu_r \epsilon_r}}
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