PROBLEMS

1, 2, 3 = straightforward, intermediate, challenging

Manual/Study Guide
= biomedical application

= full solution available in Student Solutions

Section 22.1 The Nature of Light

1. During the Apollo XI Moon landing, a retroreflecting panel was erected on the Moons
surface. The speed of light may be found by
measuring the time it takes a laser beam to travel
from Earth, reflect from the panel, and return to
Earth. If this interval is measured to be 2.51 s,
what is the measured speed of light? Take the
center-to-center distance from Earth to the Moon
to be 3.84 108 m. Assume the Moon is directly
overhead and do not neglect the sizes of Earth
and the Moon.
2. Figure P22.2 shows the apparatus used by
Armand H. L. Fizeau (18191896) to measure
the speed of light. The basic idea is to measure
the total time it takes light to travel from some
point to a distant mirror and back. If d is the
distance between the light source and the mirror
and if the transit time for one round trip is t, then
the speed of light is c = 2d/t. To measure the
transit time, Fizeau used a rotating toothed
wheel, which converts an otherwise continuous
beam of light to a series of light pulses. The
rotation of the wheel controls what an observer
at the light source sees. For example, assume
that the toothed wheel of the Fizeau experiment
has 360 teeth and is rotating at a speed of 27.5
rev/s when the light from the source is
extinguishedthat is, when a burst of light
passing through opening A in Figure P22.2 is
blocked by tooth B on return. If the distance to
the mirror is 7 500 m, find the speed of light.

3. In an experiment to measure the speed of light

using the apparatus of Fizeau described in the
preceding problem, the distance between light
source and mirror was 11.45 km and the wheel
had 720 notches. The experimentally determined
value of c was 2.998 108 m/s. Calculate the
minimum angular speed of the wheel for this
experiment.
4. Albert A. Michelson very carefully measured
the speed of light using an alternative version of
the technique developed by Fizeau. (See
Problem 2.) Figure P22.4 shows the approach he
used. Light was reflected from one face of a
rotating eight-sided mirror toward a stationary
mirror 35.0 km away. At certain rates of rotation,
the returning beam of light was directed toward
the eye of an observer as shown. (a) What
minimum angular speed must the rotating mirror
have in order that side A will have rotated to
position B, causing the light to be reflected to
the eye? (b) What is the next-higher angular
velocity that will enable the source of light to be
seen?

Figure P22.4
Figure P22.2

5. Figure P22.5 shows an apparatus used to

measure the speed distribution of gas molecules.
It consists of two slotted rotating disks separated
by a distance d, with the slots displaced by the
angle . Suppose the speed of light is measured
by sending a light beam toward the left disk of
this apparatus. (a) Show that a light beam will be
seen in the detector (that is, will make it through
both slots) only if its speed is given by c = d/,
where is the angular speed of the disks and
is measured in radians. (b) What is the measured
speed of light if the distance between the two
slotted rotating disks is 2.500 m, the slot in the
second disk is displaced 1/60 of one degree from
the slot in the first disk, and the disks are
rotating at 5 555 rev/s?

Figure P22.6

7. An underwater scuba diver sees the Sun at an

apparent angle of 45.0 from the vertical. What
is the actual direction of the Sun?
8. Light is incident normally on a 1.00-cm layer
of water that lies on top of a flat Lucite plate
with a thickness of 0.500 cm. How much more
time is required for light to pass through this
double layer than is required to traverse the
same distance in air (nLucite = 1.59)?

Figure P22.5

Section 22.3 Reflection and Refraction

Section 22.4 The Law of Refraction
6. The two mirrors in Figure P22.6 meet at a
right angle. The beam of light in the vertical
plane P strikes mirror 1 as shown. (a) Determine
the distance the reflected light beam travels
before striking mirror 2. (b) In what direction
does the light beam travel after being reflected
from mirror 2?

9. A laser beam is incident at an angle of 30.0

to the vertical onto a solution of corn syrup in
water. If the beam is refracted to 19.24 to the
vertical, (a) what is the index of refraction of the
syrup solution? Suppose the light is red, with
vacuum wavelength 632.8 nm. Find its (b)
wavelength, (c) frequency, and (d) speed in the
solution.
10. Find the speeds of light in (a) flint glass, (b)
water, and (c) zircon.
11. Light of wavelength 0 in vacuum has a
wavelength of 438 nm in water and a
wavelength of 390 nm in benzene. (a) What is
the wavelength 0 of this light in vacuum? (b)
Using only the given wavelengths, determine the
ratio of the index of refraction of benzene to that
of water.
12. Light of wavelength 436 nm in air enters a
fishbowl filled with water, then exits through the
crown-glass wall of the container. Find the
wavelengths of the light (a) in the water and (b)
in the glass.

13. A ray of light is incident on the surface of a

block of clear ice at an angle of 40.0 with the
normal. Part of the light is reflected and part is
refracted. Find the angle between the reflected
and refracted light.
14. A narrow beam of sodium yellow light (0 =
589 nm) is incident from air on a smooth surface
of water at an angle of 1 = 35.0. Determine the
angle of refraction 2 and the wavelength of the
light in water.
15. A beam of light, traveling in air, strikes the
surface of mineral oil at an angle of 23.1 with
the normal to the surface. If the light travels at
2.17 = 108 m/s through the oil, what is the angle
of refraction?
16. A flashlight on the bottom of a 4.00-m-deep
swimming pool sends a ray upward and at an
angle so that the ray strikes the surface of the
water 2.00 m from the point directly above the
flashlight. What angle (in air) does the emerging
ray make with the waters surface?
17. How many times will the incident beam
shown in Figure P22.17 be reflected by each of
the parallel mirrors?

Figure P22.18

19. When the light ray in Problem 18 passes

through the glass block, it is shifted laterally by
a distance d (Fig. P22.18). Find the value of d.
20. Find the time required for the light to pass
through the glass block described in Problem 19.
21. The light beam shown in Figure P22.21
makes an angle of 20.0 with the normal line
NN' in the linseed oil. Determine the angles
and '. (The refractive index for linseed oil is
1.48.)

Figure P22.21

Figure P22.17

18. A ray of light strikes a flat, 2.00-cm-thick

block of glass (n = 1.50) at an angle of 30.0
with the normal (Fig. P22.18). Trace the light
beam through the glass and find the angles of
incidence and refraction at each surface.

22. A submarine is 300 m horizontally out from

the shore and 100 m beneath the surface of the
water. A laser beam is sent from the sub so that it
strikes the surface of the water at a point 210 m
from the shore. If the beam just strikes the top of
a building standing directly at the waters edge,
find the height of the building.
23. Two light pulses are emitted simultaneously
from a source. The pulses take parallel paths to a
detector 6.20 m away, but one moves through air
and the other through a block of ice. Determine

the difference in the pulses times of arrival at

the detector.
24. A narrow beam of ultrasonic waves
reflects off the liver tumor in Figure P22.24. If
the speed of the wave is 10.0% less in the liver
than in the surrounding medium, determine the
depth of the tumor.

31.7 with the normal. The experiment is

repeated with sheet 3 on top of sheet 2 and, with
the same angle of incidence, the refracted beam
makes an angle of 36.7 with the normal. If the
experiment is repeated again with sheet 1 on top
of sheet 3, what is the expected angle of
refraction in sheet 3? Assume the same angle of
incidence.
27. An opaque cylindrical tank with an open top
has a diameter of 3.00 m and is completely filled
with water. When the afternoon Sun reaches an
angle of 28.0 above the horizon, sunlight ceases
to illuminate the bottom of the tank. How deep
is the tank?

Figure P22.24

25. A beam of light both reflects and refracts at

the surface between air and glass as shown in
Figure P22.25. If the index of refraction of the
glass is ng, find the angle of incidence 1 in the
air that would result in the reflected ray and the
refracted ray being perpendicular to each other.
[Hint: Remember the identity sin(90 ) = cos
.]

28. A cylindrical cistern, constructed below

ground level, is 3.0 m in diameter and 2.0 m
deep and is filled to the brim with a liquid whose
index of refraction is 1.5. A small object rests on
the bottom of the cistern at its center. How far
from the edge of the cistern can a girl whose
eyes are 1.2 m from the ground stand and still
see the object?
Section 22.5 Dispersion and Prisms
29. The index of refraction for red light in water
is 1.331, and that for blue light is 1.340. If a ray
of white light enters the water at an angle of
incidence of 83.00, what are the underwater
angles of refraction for the blue and red
components of the light?
30. A certain kind of glass has an index of
refraction of 1.650 for blue light of wavelength
430 nm and an index of 1.615 for red light of
wavelength 680 nm. If a beam containing these
two colors is incident at an angle of 30.00 on a
piece of this glass, what is the angle between the
two beams inside the glass?

Figure P22.25

26. Three sheets of plastic have unknown

indices of refraction. Sheet 1 is placed on top of
sheet 2, and a laser beam is directed onto the
sheets from above so that it strikes the interface
at an angle of 26.5 with the normal. The
refracted beam in sheet 2 makes an angle of

31. A ray of light strikes the midpoint of one

face of an equiangular (60-60-60) glass prism
(n = 1.5) at an angle of incidence of 30. (a)
Trace the path of the light ray through the glass,
and find the angles of incidence and refraction at
each surface. (b) If a small fraction of light is
also reflected at each surface, find the angles of
reflection at these surfaces.

32. The index of refraction for violet light in

silica flint glass is 1.66 and that for red light is
1.62. What is the angular dispersion of visible
light passing through an equilateral prism of
apex angle 60.0 if the angle of incidence is
50.0? (See Fig. P22.32.)

that the light pipe has an index of refraction of

1.36 and that the outside medium is air.

Figure P22.38

Figure P22.32

Section 22.8 Total Internal Reflection

33. Calculate the critical angles for the following
materials when surrounded by air: (a) zircon, (b)
fluorite, (c) ice. Assume that = 589 nm.
34. For 589-nm light, calculate the critical angle
for the following materials surrounded by air:
(a) diamond and (b) flint glass.
35. Repeat Problem 34 when the materials are
surrounded by water.
36. A beam of light is incident from air on the
surface of a liquid. If the angle of incidence is
30.0 and the angle of refraction is 22.0, find
the critical angle for the liquid when surrounded
by air.
37. A light pipe consists of a central strand of
material surrounded by an outer coating. The
interior portion of the pipe has an index of
refraction of 1.60. If all rays striking the interior
walls of the pipe with incident angles greater
than 59.5 are subject to total internal reflection,
what is the index of refraction of the coating?
38. Determine the maximum angle for which
the light rays incident on the end of the light
pipe in Figure P22.38 are subject to total internal
reflection along the walls of the pipe. Assume

39. Consider a common mirage formed by

super-heated air just above a roadway. A truck
driver whose eyes are 2.00 m above the road,
where n = 1.000 3, looks forward. She has the
illusion of seeing a patch of water ahead on the
road, where her line of sight makes an angle of
1.20 below the horizontal. Find the index of
refraction of the air just above the road surface.
(Hint: Treat this as a problem in total internal
reflection.)
40. A jewel thief hides a diamond by placing it
on the bottom of a public swimming pool. He
places a circular raft on the surface of the water
directly above and centered on the diamond, as
shown in Figure P22.40. If the surface of the
water is calm and the pool is 2.00 m deep, find
the minimum diameter of the raft that would
prevent the diamond from being seen.

Figure P22.40

41. A room contains air in which the speed of

sound is 343 m/s. The walls of the room are
made of concrete, in which the speed of sound is
1 850 m/s. (a) Find the critical angle for total
internal reflection of sound at the concrete-air
boundary. (b) In which medium must the sound
be traveling in order to undergo total internal
reflection? (c) A bare concrete wall is a highly

efficient mirror for sound. Give evidence for or

against this statement.

the ice at an angle of incidence of 30.0, what is

the angle of refraction in the water?

42. A light ray is incident normally to the long

face (the hypotenuse) of a 45-45-90 prism
surrounded by air, as shown in Figure 22.26b.
Calculate the minimum index of refraction of
the prism for which the ray will follow the path
shown.

46. A light ray of wavelength 589 nm is incident

at an angle on the top surface of a block of
polystyrene surrounded by air, as shown in
Figure P22.46. (a) Find the maximum value of
for which the refracted ray will undergo total
internal reflection at the left vertical face of the
block. (b) Repeat the calculation for the case in
which the polystyrene block is immersed in
water. (c) What happens if the block is immersed
in carbon disulfide?

43. The light beam in Figure P22.43 strikes

surface 2 at the critical angle. Determine the
angle of incidence i.

Figure P22.43

ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS
44. (a) Consider a horizontal interface between
air above and glass with an index of 1.55 below.
Draw a light ray incident from the air at an angle
of incidence of 30.0. Determine the angles of
the reflected and refracted rays and show them
on the diagram. (b) Suppose instead that the
light ray is incident from the glass at an angle of
incidence of 30.0. Determine the angles of the
reflected and refracted rays and show all three
rays on a new diagram. (c) For rays incident
from the air onto the air-glass surface, determine
and tabulate the angles of reflection and
refraction for all the angles of incidence at 10.0
intervals from 0 to 90.0. (d) Do the same for
light rays traveling up to the interface through
the glass.
45. A layer of ice, having parallel sides, floats on
water. If light is incident on the upper surface of

Figure P22.46

47. Figure P22.47 shows the path of a beam of

light through several layers of different indices
of refraction. (a) If 1 = 30.0, what is the angle
2 of the emerging beam? (b) What must the
incident angle 1 be in order to have total
internal reflection at the surface between the n =
1.20 medium and the n = 1.00 medium?

Figure P22.47

48. The walls of a prison cell are perpendicular

to the four cardinal compass directions. On the

first day of spring, light from the rising Sun

enters a rectangular window in the eastern wall.
The light traverses 2.37 m horizontally to shine
perpendicularly on the wall opposite the
window. A prisoner observes the patch of light
moving across this western wall and for the first
time forms his own understanding of the rotation
of the Earth. (a) With what speed does the
illuminated rectangle move? (b) The prisoner
holds a small square mirror flat against the wall
at one corner of the rectangle of light. The
mirror reflects light back to a spot on the eastern
wall close beside the window. How fast does the
smaller square of light move across that wall?
(c) Seen from a latitude of 40.0 north, the rising
Sun moves through the sky along a line making
a 50.0 angle with the southeastern horizon. In
what direction does the rectangular patch of
light on the western wall of the prisoners cell
move? (d) In what direction does the smaller
square of light on the eastern wall move?
49. As shown in Figure P22.49, a light ray is
incident normally on one face of a 30-60-90
block of dense flint glass (a prism) that is
immersed in water. (a) Determine the exit angle
4 of the ray. (b) A substance is dissolved in the
water to increase the index of refraction. At what
value of n2 does total internal reflection cease at
point P?

prism so that the beam reflects from opposite

faces of the prism. Show that the angular
separation of the two reflected beams is given by
B = 2A.

Figure P22.51

52. A 4.00-m-long pole stands vertically in a

lake having a depth of 2.00 m. When the Sun is
40.0 above the horizontal, determine the length
of the poles shadow on the bottom of the lake.
Take the index of refraction for water to be 1.33.
53. A piece of wire is bent through an angle .
The bent wire is partially submerged in benzene
(index of refraction = 1.50) so that to a person
looking along the dry part, the wire appears to
be straight and makes an angle of 30.0 with the
horizontal. Determine the value of .
54. When you look through a window, by how
much time is the light you see delayed by having
to go through glass instead of air? Make an
order-of-magnitude estimate on the basis of data
you specify. By how many wavelengths is it
delayed?

Figure P22.49

50. A narrow beam of light is incident from air

onto a glass surface with index of refraction
1.56. Find the angle of incidence for which the
corresponding angle of refraction is one half the
angle of incidence. (Hint: You might want to use
the trigonometric identity sin 2 = 2 sin cos .)
51. One technique to measure the angle of a
prism is shown in Figure P22.51. A parallel
beam of light is directed on the apex of the

55. A transparent cylinder of radius R = 2.00 m

has a mirrored surface on its right half, as shown
in Figure P22.55. A light ray traveling in air is
incident on the left side of the cylinder. The
incident light ray and the exiting light ray are
parallel and d = 2.00 m. Determine the index of
refraction of the material.

58. A hiker stands on a mountain peak near

sunset and observes a rainbow caused by water
droplets in the air about 8.00 km away. The
valley is 2.00 km below the mountain peak and
entirely flat. What fraction of the complete
circular arc of the rainbow is visible to the
hiker?
Figure P22.55

56. A laser beam strikes one end of a slab of

material, as in Figure P22.56. The index of
refraction of the slab is 1.48. Determine the
number of internal reflections of the beam
before it emerges from the opposite end of the
slab.

59. A light ray is incident on a prism and

refracted at the first surface, as shown in Figure
P22.59. Let represent the apex angle of the
prism and n its index of refraction. Find, in
terms of n and , the smallest allowed value of
the angle of incidence at the first surface for
which the refracted ray will not undergo internal
reflection at the second surface.

Figure P22.56

57. For this problem, refer to Figure 22.15. For

various angles of incidence, it can be shown that
the deviation angle is a minimum when the ray
passes through the glass so that the interior ray
is parallel to the base of the prism. A
measurement of this minimum angle of
deviation enables one to find the index of
refraction of the prism material. Show that n is
given by the expression where A is the apex
angle of the prism.

1
sin [ ( A min )]
2
n=
A
sin

Figure P22.59