Log out Go to App
Go to App

Learning Materials

Features

Discover

Chapter 13: Problem 2

The air in a dark, smoky room often looks bluish when illuminated by white light. What creates this bluish appearance?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Rayleigh scattering of shorter wavelengths causes the bluish appearance.

Step by step solution

01

- Understand Rayleigh Scattering

When white light enters a room filled with fine particles or molecules, the phenomenon of Rayleigh scattering occurs. Sub-microscopic particles scatter shorter wavelengths (blue and violet light) more than longer wavelengths (red and yellow light).
02

- Consider the Role of Particle Size

The particles responsible for the scattering are generally much smaller than the wavelength of the visible light, which is necessary for Rayleigh scattering to occur effectively.
03

- Explain Why the Room Looks Bluish

The greater scattering of blue light compared to other colors causes the light we see to have a higher proportion of blue. Thus, when white light illuminates the room, it appears bluish.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Start your free trial

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Light Scattering
When light encounters small particles or molecules in the air, it doesn't always pass straight through. Instead, it sometimes gets scattered. This scattering can send the light waves off in different directions. This phenomenon is known as light scattering. In our example of a smoky room, the smoky particles scatter the light. This concept is crucial in understanding why certain colors become more prominent under specific conditions.
Wavelength Dependency
Different colors of light have different wavelengths. Blue light has a shorter wavelength, while red light has a longer wavelength. Rayleigh scattering occurs much more strongly at shorter wavelengths. This means that blue light is scattered more than red light. Because of this wavelength dependency, when light passes through air containing tiny particles, the shorter wavelengths (blue) scatter more, making the surrounding air appear bluish.
This is why the sky appears blue: The same scattering principle applies to the sky during the day. Molecules in the atmosphere scatter sunlight, and since blue light is scattered more than other colors, the sky looks blue.
Particle Size Effect
Rayleigh scattering effectively happens with particles much smaller than the wavelength of light. If the particles were larger, such as in the case of fog or heavy smoke, Mie scattering would dominate, and all wavelengths would be scattered more equally, resulting in a white light appearance. In the case of our smoky room, the fine smoky particles are small enough to cause Rayleigh scattering, where shorter wavelengths like blue are scattered more.

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

When you look into a pool of water, you see mostly a reflection of the sky. When you wear polarizing sunglasses, however, you see into the water clearly. Explain.
See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Physics Textbooks

Modern Physics

Read Explanation

Measurements

Read Explanation

Radiation

Read Explanation

Dynamics

Read Explanation

Electricity and Magnetism

Read Explanation

Atoms and Radioactivity

Read Explanation
View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free