Speed of Light Calculator

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Provides the constant speed of light in a vacuum (c) or calculates the speed of light in a medium using the index of refraction.

How To Use

How to use this calculator

Start with your values, or try a preset.

Step 1

Enter Index of Refraction of Medium in the units shown.

Step 2

Read Speed of Light in Vacuum (c) and Speed of Light in Medium in the results panel. Results update as you change the inputs.

Step 3

Choose a preset to load an example, then adjust the values for your situation.

Worked Examples

See the inputs and their calculated results.

Index of Refraction of Medium: 1 dimensionless

Speed of Light in Vacuum (c): 299,792,458 m/s; Speed of Light in Medium: 299,792,458 m/s

Index of Refraction of Medium: 1.00029 dimensionless

Speed of Light in Vacuum (c): 299,792,458 m/s; Speed of Light in Medium: 299,705,543.4 m/s

Index of Refraction of Medium: 1.333 dimensionless

Speed of Light in Vacuum (c): 299,792,458 m/s; Speed of Light in Medium: 224,900,568.6 m/s

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