Question 1

What is θmin for a monochromatic beam of light of wavelength 600 nm and an aperture diameter of 6.00 mm?

Accepted Answer

A) 100 × 10-6 rad 
B) 202 × 10-6 rad 
C) 122 × 10-6 rad 
D) 244 × 10-6 rad 
E) 236 × 10-6 rad

Question 2

In a single-slit diffraction experiment, the first minimum in the diffraction pattern occurs at an angle given by sinθ = 2λ/W.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

A diffraction grating has 300 lines per mm. If light of wavelength 630 nm is sent through this grating, at what angle does the first order maximum occur?

Accepted Answer

A) 56° 
B) 44° 
C) 22° 
D) 11° 
E) 28°

Question 4

If in a single slit diffraction experiment the wavelength is increased, which of the following happens to the diffraction pattern?

Accepted Answer

A) The central maximum broadens. 
B) The minima remain the same. 
C) Eventually you get double slit interference. 
D) The central maximum narrows. 
E) The minima get closer together.

Question 5

The limiting angle of resolution for the eye is 1.4 × 10-4 rad. What is the minimum separation between two point sources of light that the eye can distinguish if they are at a distance of 40 m from the observer?

Accepted Answer

A) 2.8 × 10-3 m 
B) 5.6 × 10-3 m 
C) 1.4 × 10-3 m 
D) 8.4 × 10-3 m 
E) 4.7 × 10-3 m

Question 6

The resolving power of a microscope refers to the ability to

Accepted Answer

A) distinguish objects of different colors. 
B) form clear images of two points that are very close together. 
C) form a very small image. 
D) form a very large image. 
E) form a very bright image.

Question 7

Consider two diffraction gratings; one has 4000 lines per cm and the other one has 6000 lines per cm. Make a statement comparing the dispersion of the two gratings.

Accepted Answer

A) The 4000-line grating produces the greater dispersion. 
B) The 6000-line grating produces the greater dispersion. 
C) Both gratings produce the same dispersion, but the orders are sharper for the 4000-line grating. 
D) Both gratings produce the same dispersion, but the orders are sharper for the 6000-line grating.

Question 8

An ideal polarizer is placed in a beam of unpolarized light and the intensity of the transmitted light is 1. A second ideal polarizer is placed in the beam with its preferred direction rotated 40° to that of the first polarizer. What is the intensity of the beam after it has passed through both polarizers?

Accepted Answer

A) 0.77 
B) 0.64 
C) 0.59 
D) 0.41 
E) 0.30

Question 9

White light is spread out into spectral hues by a grating. If the grating has 2000 lines per centimeter, at what angle will red light (640 nm) appear in the first order?

Accepted Answer

A) 3.57° 
B) 7.35° 
C) 11.2° 
D) 13.4° 
E) 14.7°

Question 10

What principle is responsible for light spreading as it passes through a narrow slit?

Accepted Answer

A) refraction 
B) reflection 
C) polarization 
D) diffraction 
E) interference

Question 11

If an X-ray beam of wavelength 1.4 × 10-10 m makes an angle of 20° with a set of planes in a crystal causing first order constructive interference, at what angle will the second order line appear?

Accepted Answer

A) 40° 
B) 20° 
C) 43° 
D) 4° 
E) 11°

Question 12

A diffraction grating has 6000 lines per centimeter ruled on it. What is the angular separation between the second and the third orders on the same side of the central order when the grating is illuminated with a beam of light of wavelength 550 nm?

Accepted Answer

A) 12.3° 
B) 20.5° 
C) 30.5° 
D) 40.5° 
E) 50.5°

Question 13

If the headlights on a car are separated by 1.3 m, how far down the road can they be resolved if the angular resolution of the eye is about 5 × 10-4 rad?

Accepted Answer

A) 1.3 km 
B) 5.0 km 
C) 4.8 km 
D) 0.65 km 
E) 2.6 km

Question 14

A slit of width 2.0 μm is used in a single slit experiment with light of wavelength 650 nm. If the intensity at the central maximum is Io, what is the intensity 10° from the center?

Accepted Answer

A) 0.53 Io 
B) 0.03 Io 
C) 0.43 Io 
D) 0.50 Io 
E) 0.35 Io

Question 15

A lens is designed to work in the visible, near-infrared, and near-ultraviolet. The best resolution of this lens from a diffraction standpoint is

Accepted Answer

A) equal for all wavelengths. 
B) in the near-ultraviolet. 
C) in the visible. 
D) in the near-infrared. 
E) indeterminate.

Question 16

Light of wavelength 580 nm is incident on a slit of width 0.300 mm. An observing screen is placed 2.00 m from the slit. Find the width of the central maximum.

Accepted Answer

A) 0.26 mm 
B) 1.9 mm 
C) 3.9 mm 
D) 4.3 mm 
E) 7.7 mm

Question 17

Light of wavelength 610 nm is incident on a slit 0.20 mm wide and the diffraction pattern is produced on a screen that is 1.5 m from the slit. What is the width of the central maximum?

Accepted Answer

A) 0.34 cm 
B) 0.46 m 
C) 0.68 cm 
D) 0.92 cm 
E) 1.2 cm

Question 18

What resolving power is needed to resolve spectral lines at 651.22 nm and 651.81 nm?

Accepted Answer

A) 1100 
B) 1000 
C) 1200 
D) 1400 
E) 1300

Question 19

In a single-slit diffraction experiment, the width of the slit through which light passes is reduced. What happens to the central bright fringe?

Accepted Answer

A) It stays the same. 
B) It becomes narrower. 
C) It becomes wider. 
D) We must know the wavelength of the light to answer. 
E) We must know the distance from the slit to the screen to answer.

Question 20

In a single-slit diffraction experiment, the central maximum is broadened if the wavelength of light is increased.

Accepted Answer