Question

Give an example to show that an optically denser medium may not possess greater mass density.

Answer 1

1. The refractive index of kerosene is ${\mu }_k=1.44$, and the water's refractive index is ${\mu }_w=1.33$.
2. From this data, kerosene is an optically denser medium than water.
3. The mass density of kerosene is $0.8g/c{m}^3$, and the mass density of water is $1g/c{m}^3$.
4. The mass density of kerosene is lower than that of water.

Hence, we can say that an optically denser medium may not possess greater mass density.