Question 1

A diffraction grating has 300 lines per mm. If light of wavelength 630 nm is sent through this grating, what is the highest order maximum that will appear?

Accepted Answer

A) 8 
B) 2 
C) 6 
D) 5 
E) 5.3 
A) 8 
B) 2 
C) 6 
D) 5 
E) 5.3 D

Question 2

Monochromatic light is incident on a grating that is 75 mm wide and ruled with 50,000 lines. The second-order maximum is seen at 32.5°. What is the wavelength of the incident light?

Accepted Answer

A) 202 nm 
B) 403 nm 
C) 452 nm 
D) 605 nm 
E) 806 nm 
A) 202 nm 
B) 403 nm 
C) 452 nm 
D) 605 nm 
E) 806 nm B

Question 3

If an X-ray beam of wavelength 1.4 × 10-10 m makes an angle of 30° with a set of planes in a crystal causing first order constructive interference, what is the plane spacing?

Accepted Answer

A) 2.8 × 10-10 m 
B) 0.7 × 10-10 m 
C) 3.2 × 10-10 m 
D) 1.6 × 10-10 m 
E) 1.4 × 10-10 m 
A) 2.8 × 10-10 m 
B) 0.7 × 10-10 m 
C) 3.2 × 10-10 m 
D) 1.6 × 10-10 m 
E) 1.4 × 10-10 m E

Question 4

Light of wavelength 687 nm is incident on a single slit 0.75 mm wide. At what distance from the slit should a screen be placed if the second dark fringe in the diffraction pattern is to be 1.7 mm from the center of the screen?

Accepted Answer

A) 0.39 m 
B) 0.47 m 
C) 0.93 m 
D) 1.1 m 
E) 1.9 m 
A) 0.39 m 
B) 0.47 m 
C) 0.93 m 
D) 1.1 m 
E) 1.9 m

Question 5

Monochromatic light of wavelength 500 nm is incident normally on a grating. If the third-order maximum of the diffraction pattern is observed at 32.0°, what is the grating constant (distance between the slits)?

Accepted Answer

A) 0.93 μm 
B) 1.4 μm 
C) 2.8 μm 
D) 5.6 μm 
E) 8.5 μm 
A) 0.93 μm 
B) 1.4 μm 
C) 2.8 μm 
D) 5.6 μm 
E) 8.5 μm

Question 6

On a clear day, the sky appears to be more blue toward the zenith (overhead) than it does toward the horizon. This occurs because

Accepted Answer

A) the atmosphere is denser higher up than it is at the Earth's surface. 
B) the temperature of the upper atmosphere is higher than it is at the Earth's surface. 
C) the sunlight travels over a longer path at the horizon, resulting in more scattering. 
D) none of the given answers 
A) the atmosphere is denser higher up than it is at the Earth's surface. 
B) the temperature of the upper atmosphere is higher than it is at the Earth's surface. 
C) the sunlight travels over a longer path at the horizon, resulting in more scattering. 
D) none of the given answers

Question 7

Monochromatic light of wavelength 500 nm is incident normally on a grating. If the third-order maximum of the diffraction pattern is observed at 32.0°, how many total number of maxima can be seen?

Accepted Answer

A) 5 
B) 7 
C) 10 
D) 11 
E) 13 
A) 5 
B) 7 
C) 10 
D) 11 
E) 13

Question 8

A single-slit diffraction pattern is formed on a distant screen. Assuming the angles involved are small, by what factor will the width of the central bright spot on the screen change if the slit width is doubled?

Accepted Answer

A) It will be cut to one-quarter its original size. 
B) It will be cut in half. 
C) It will double. 
D) It will become four times as large. 
E) It will become eight times as large. 
A) It will be cut to one-quarter its original size. 
B) It will be cut in half. 
C) It will double. 
D) It will become four times as large. 
E) It will become eight times as large.

Question 9

A 10-inch telescope is used to determine if what appears to be one star is actually two stars. Stars are so far away that they are essentially point sources. How close, in angle, can two stars be and still be resolved by this telescope? Use a wavelength of 550 nm.

Accepted Answer

A) 4.2 × 10-8 degree 
B) 2.64 × 10-6 degree 
C) 3.0 × 10-4 degree 
D) 1.5 × 10-4 degree 
E) 6.6 × 10-8 degree 
A) 4.2 × 10-8 degree 
B) 2.64 × 10-6 degree 
C) 3.0 × 10-4 degree 
D) 1.5 × 10-4 degree 
E) 6.6 × 10-8 degree

Question 10

A single-slit diffraction pattern is formed on a distant screen. Assuming the angles involved are small, by what factor will the width of the central bright spot on the screen change if the wavelength is doubled?

Accepted Answer

A) It will be cut to one-quarter its original size. 
B) It will be cut in half. 
C) It will double. 
D) It will become four times as large. 
E) It will become eight times as large. 
A) It will be cut to one-quarter its original size. 
B) It will be cut in half. 
C) It will double. 
D) It will become four times as large. 
E) It will become eight times as large.

Question 11

Placing the Hubble Space Telescope in space gives better resolution because it is

Accepted Answer

A) above the atmosphere which distorts images. 
B) in circular orbit where there is no spherical aberration. 
C) in elliptical orbit where there is no spherical aberration. 
D) larger than the largest ground-based telescopes. 
E) free from gravity-produced optical flaws. 
A) above the atmosphere which distorts images. 
B) in circular orbit where there is no spherical aberration. 
C) in elliptical orbit where there is no spherical aberration. 
D) larger than the largest ground-based telescopes. 
E) free from gravity-produced optical flaws.

Question 12

An important reason for using a very large diameter objective in an astronomical telescope is

Accepted Answer

A) to increase the magnification. 
B) to increase the resolution. 
C) to form a virtual image, which is easier to look at. 
D) to increase the width of the field of view. 
E) to increase the depth of the field of view. 
A) to increase the magnification. 
B) to increase the resolution. 
C) to form a virtual image, which is easier to look at. 
D) to increase the width of the field of view. 
E) to increase the depth of the field of view.

Question 13

Using the Rayleigh criterion, one concludes that using fixed wavelength light that it is not possible to resolve details less than about

Accepted Answer

A) 0.5 wavelength. 
B) 0.1 wavelength. 
C) one wavelength. 
D) 10 wavelengths. 
E) 122 wavelengths. 
A) 0.5 wavelength. 
B) 0.1 wavelength. 
C) one wavelength. 
D) 10 wavelengths. 
E) 122 wavelengths.

Question 14

The angular resolution of the eye is about 5 × 10-4 rad. The Moon is about 400,000 km from the earth and has a diameter of about 3500 km. What is the smallest feature on the Moon that can be resolved with the unaided eye?

Accepted Answer

A) 400 km 
B) 1000 km 
C) 100 km 
D) 1.8 km 
E) 200 km 
A) 400 km 
B) 1000 km 
C) 100 km 
D) 1.8 km 
E) 200 km

Question 15

Consider two diffraction gratings with the same slit separation, the only difference being that one grating has 3 slits and the other 4 slits. If both gratings are illuminated with a beam of the same monochromatic light, make a statement concerning the separation between the orders.

Accepted Answer

A) The grating with 3 slits produces the greater separation between orders. 
B) The grating with 4 slits produces the greater separation between orders. 
C) Both gratings produce the same separation between orders, but the orders are better defined with the 3-slit grating.. 
D) Both gratings produce the same separation between orders, but the orders are better defined with the 4-slit grating. 
A) The grating with 3 slits produces the greater separation between orders. 
B) The grating with 4 slits produces the greater separation between orders. 
C) Both gratings produce the same separation between orders, but the orders are better defined with the 3-slit grating.. 
D) Both gratings produce the same separation between orders, but the orders are better defined with the 4-slit grating.

Question 16

A polarizer (with its preferred direction rotated 30° to the vertical) is placed in a beam of unpolarized light of intensity 1. After passing through the polarizer, the beam's intensity is

Accepted Answer

A) 0.25. 
B) 0.50. 
C) 0.63. 
D) 0.87. 
E) 0.75. 
A) 0.25. 
B) 0.50. 
C) 0.63. 
D) 0.87. 
E) 0.75.

Question 17

When light illuminates a grating with 7000 lines per centimeter, its second order maximum is at 62.4°. What is the wavelength of the light?

Accepted Answer

A) 336 nm 
B) 363 nm 
C) 452 nm 
D) 633 nm 
E) 752 nm 
A) 336 nm 
B) 363 nm 
C) 452 nm 
D) 633 nm 
E) 752 nm

Question 18

The discoverer of X-rays was

Accepted Answer

A) Bragg. 
B) von Laue. 
C) Fermi. 
D) Roentgen. 
E) Xavier. 
A) Bragg. 
B) von Laue. 
C) Fermi. 
D) Roentgen. 
E) Xavier.

Question 19

A single-slit diffraction pattern is formed on a distant screen. Assuming the angles involved are small, by what factor will the width of the central bright spot on the screen change if the distance from the slit to the screen is doubled?

Accepted Answer

A) It will be cut to one-quarter its original size. 
B) It will be cut in half. 
C) It will double. 
D) It will become four times as large. 
E) It will become eight times as large. 
A) It will be cut to one-quarter its original size. 
B) It will be cut in half. 
C) It will double. 
D) It will become four times as large. 
E) It will become eight times as large.

Question 20

In a diffraction experiment, light of 600 nm wavelength produces a first-order maximum 0.350 mm from the central maximum on a distant screen. A second monochromatic source produces a third-order maximum 0.870 mm from the central maximum when it passes through the same diffraction grating. What is the wavelength of the light from the second source?

Accepted Answer

A) 479 nm 
B) 497 nm 
C) 567 nm 
D) 749 nm 
E) 794 nm 
A) 479 nm 
B) 497 nm 
C) 567 nm 
D) 749 nm 
E) 794 nm

Exam 35: Diffraction and Polarization

A diffraction grating has 300 lines per mm. If light of wavelength 630 nm is sent through this grating, what is the highest order maximum that will appear?

Monochromatic light is incident on a grating that is 75 mm wide and ruled with 50,000 lines. The second-order maximum is seen at 32.5°. What is the wavelength of the incident light?

If an X-ray beam of wavelength 1.4 × 10-10 m makes an angle of 30° with a set of planes in a crystal causing first order constructive interference, what is the plane spacing?

Light of wavelength 687 nm is incident on a single slit 0.75 mm wide. At what distance from the slit should a screen be placed if the second dark fringe in the diffraction pattern is to be 1.7 mm from the center of the screen?

Monochromatic light of wavelength 500 nm is incident normally on a grating. If the third-order maximum of the diffraction pattern is observed at 32.0°, what is the grating constant (distance between the slits)?

On a clear day, the sky appears to be more blue toward the zenith (overhead) than it does toward the horizon. This occurs because

Monochromatic light of wavelength 500 nm is incident normally on a grating. If the third-order maximum of the diffraction pattern is observed at 32.0°, how many total number of maxima can be seen?

A single-slit diffraction pattern is formed on a distant screen. Assuming the angles involved are small, by what factor will the width of the central bright spot on the screen change if the slit width is doubled?

A 10-inch telescope is used to determine if what appears to be one star is actually two stars. Stars are so far away that they are essentially point sources. How close, in angle, can two stars be and still be resolved by this telescope? Use a wavelength of 550 nm.

A single-slit diffraction pattern is formed on a distant screen. Assuming the angles involved are small, by what factor will the width of the central bright spot on the screen change if the wavelength is doubled?

Placing the Hubble Space Telescope in space gives better resolution because it is

An important reason for using a very large diameter objective in an astronomical telescope is

Using the Rayleigh criterion, one concludes that using fixed wavelength light that it is not possible to resolve details less than about

The angular resolution of the eye is about 5 × 10-4 rad. The Moon is about 400,000 km from the earth and has a diameter of about 3500 km. What is the smallest feature on the Moon that can be resolved with the unaided eye?

Consider two diffraction gratings with the same slit separation, the only difference being that one grating has 3 slits and the other 4 slits. If both gratings are illuminated with a beam of the same monochromatic light, make a statement concerning the separation between the orders.

A polarizer (with its preferred direction rotated 30° to the vertical) is placed in a beam of unpolarized light of intensity 1. After passing through the polarizer, the beam's intensity is

When light illuminates a grating with 7000 lines per centimeter, its second order maximum is at 62.4°. What is the wavelength of the light?

The discoverer of X-rays was

A single-slit diffraction pattern is formed on a distant screen. Assuming the angles involved are small, by what factor will the width of the central bright spot on the screen change if the distance from the slit to the screen is doubled?

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Filters

If an X-ray beam of wavelength 1.4 × 10^-10 m makes an angle of 30° with a set of planes in a crystal causing first order constructive interference, what is the plane spacing?

The angular resolution of the eye is about 5 × 10^-4 rad. The Moon is about 400,000 km from the earth and has a diameter of about 3500 km. What is the smallest feature on the Moon that can be resolved with the unaided eye?