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Ch. 34 - The Wave Nature of Light: Interference and Polarization
Giancoli Douglas - Physics for Scientists and Engineers 5th edition
Giancoli Douglas5th editionPhysics for Scientists and EngineersISBN: 9780137488179Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 33, Problem 25

(I) If a soap bubble is 120 nm thick, what wavelength is most strongly reflected at the center of the outer surface when illuminated normally by white light? Assume that n = 1.35.

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Identify the given values: thickness of the soap bubble (t = 120 nm) and the refractive index of the soap bubble (n = 1.35).
Understand that the phenomenon described is thin-film interference, which occurs due to the constructive interference of light waves reflecting off the front and back surfaces of the thin film.
Use the formula for constructive interference in thin films: \(2nt = m\lambda\), where \(m\) is the order of the interference (typically the first order, m=1, is considered for maximum reflection), \(n\) is the refractive index, \(t\) is the thickness of the film, and \(\lambda\) is the wavelength of light.
Solve for \(\lambda\) using the equation \(\lambda = \frac{2nt}{m}\). Plug in the values: \(n = 1.35\), \(t = 120 \text{ nm}\), and \(m = 1\).
Calculate the wavelength \(\lambda\) that corresponds to the first order of maximum constructive interference, which will be the wavelength most strongly reflected.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Thin Film Interference

Thin film interference occurs when light waves reflect off the two surfaces of a thin film, such as a soap bubble. The reflected waves can interfere constructively or destructively depending on the film's thickness and the wavelength of light. This phenomenon is responsible for the colorful patterns seen in soap bubbles.
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Wavelength and Refractive Index

The refractive index (n) of a material affects how light travels through it, altering the effective wavelength of light within the medium. For a soap bubble with a refractive index of 1.35, the wavelength of light in the film is shorter than in a vacuum. This change is crucial for determining which wavelengths are most strongly reflected.
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Constructive Interference Condition

Constructive interference occurs when the path difference between two reflected light waves is an integer multiple of the wavelength. For a soap bubble, the condition for constructive interference is given by 2nt = mλ, where n is the refractive index, t is the thickness of the film, m is an integer, and λ is the wavelength in a vacuum. This relationship helps identify the wavelengths that will be most prominently reflected.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

A uniform thin film of alcohol (n = 1.36) lies on a flat glass plate (n = 1.56). When monochromatic light, whose wavelength can be changed, is incident normally, the reflected light is a minimum for λ = 492 nm and a maximum for λ = 615 nm. What is the minimum thickness of the film?

Textbook Question

Show that the radius r of the mᵗʰ dark Newton’s ring, as viewed from directly above (Fig. 34–18), is given by r = √mλR where R is the radius of curvature of the curved glass surface and λ is the wavelength of light used. Assume that the thickness of the air gap is much less than R at all points and that r ≪ R . [Hint: Use the binomial expansion.]

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Textbook Question

(II) When a Newton’s ring apparatus (Fig. 34–18) is immersed in a liquid, the diameter of the tenth dark ring decreases from 2.92 cm to 2.54 cm. What is the refractive index of the liquid? [Hint: See Problem 37.]

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Textbook Question

Consider three equally spaced and equal-intensity coherent sources of light (such as adding a third slit to the two slits of Fig. 34–12). Determine the positions of minima.

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Textbook Question

In a two-slit interference experiment, the path length to a certain point P on the screen differs for one slit in comparison with the other by 1.25λ.

(a) What is the phase difference between the two waves arriving at point P?

(b) Determine the intensity at P, expressed as a fraction of the maximum intensity Iₒ on the screen.

Textbook Question

Suppose that one slit of a double-slit apparatus is wider than the other so that the intensity of light passing through it is twice as great. Determine the intensity I as a function of position (θ) on the screen for coherent light.

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