Optics Answers

If a piece of photographic film is placed at the location of a real image, the film will record

the image. Can this be done with a virtual image? How might one record a virtual image?

A spherical air bubble in water can function as a lens. Is it a converging or diverging lens?

How is its focal length related to its radius?

The bottom of the passenger-side mirror on your car notes, “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.” Is this true? Why?

You may have noticed a small convex mirror next to your bank’s ATM. Why is this mirror

convex, as opposed to flat or con- cave? What considerations determine its radius of curvature?

In the figure above, q₁ = 6.53 nC, q₂ = 13.1 nC, and q₃ = 13.1 nC. If the net force on q₁ is 0, then what would q be?

Can water waves be reflected and refracted? Give examples. Does Huygens’s principle apply to water waves? Explain.

Atmospheric haze is due to water droplets or smoke particles (“smog”). Such haze reduces visibility by scattering light, so that the light from distant objects becomes randomized and images become indistinct. Explain why visibility through haze can be improved by wearing red-tinted sunglasses, which filter out blue light

Does it make sense to talk about the polarization of a longitudinal wave, such as a sound wave? Why or why not?

If you look up from underneath toward the surface of the water in your aquarium, you may see an upside-down reflection of your pet fish in the surface of the water. Explain how this can happen.

A beam of light goes from one material into another. On physical grounds, explain why the wavelength changes but the frequency and period do not