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Chapter 34: Q. 17 (page 990)

A fish in a flat-sided aquarium sees a can of fish food on the counter. To the fish's eye, the can looks to be 30cm outside the aquarium. What is the actual distance between the can and the aquarium? (You can ignore the thin glass wall of the aquarium.)

Short Answer

Expert verified

Thus the actual distance between a can and an aquarium is 22.6cm

Step by step solution

01

Using the given data.

Use the relationship between the object's distance, image distance, water's refractive index, and air's refractive index.

s=nairnwaters′

The Sis object's distance (actual distance), s′the image distance, nairthe refractive index of air, and nwateris the refractive index of water are all given here.

02

To calculate the actual distance.

Determine the actual distance between the can and the aquarium by using the following formula:

s=nairnwaters′

Substituting nair, 1.33fornwater, and 30cmfor s′

s=11.33(30cm)

=22.6cm

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Paraxial light rays approach a transparent sphere parallel to an optical axis passing through the center of the sphere. The rays come to a focus on the far surface of the sphere. What is the sphere’s index of refraction?

Shows a light ray that travels from point A to point B. The ray crosses the boundary at position x, making angles θ1and θ2in the two media. Suppose that you did not know Snell’s law.

A. Write an expression for the time t it takes the light ray to travel from A to B. Your expression should be in terms of the distances a, b, and w; the variable x; and the indices of refraction n1 and n2

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C. Now, by using the geometry of the figure, derive Snell’s law from your answer to part b.

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