SOLVED SUBJECTIVE PROBLEMS

Air
Problem 1. A 4 cm thick layer of water covers a 6 cm thick glass
slab. A coin is placed at the bottom of the slab and is
4cm h1 Water
being observed from the air side along the normal to
the surface. Find the apparent position of the coin from
the surface. 6cm h2 Glass
Solution: Using equation, the total apparent shift is
Coin
 1  1  Air
s  h1  1    h 2  1  
 1   2 
4cm h1 h Water
 1   1 
or s  4 1    6 1  
 4 / 3   3/ 2  6cm h2 s
Glass

= 3.0 cm
Coin
Thus, h  h1  h 2  s  4  6  3
= 7.0 cm.

Problem 2. How long will the light take in travelling a distance of 500 metre in water? Given that  for
water is 4/3 and the velocity of light in vacuum is 3  1010 cm/sec. Also calculate equivalent
path.
Solution: We know that
velocity of light in vaccum

velocity of light in water

4 3  1010

3 velocity of light in water

or velocity of light in water  2.25  1010 cm/sec.

500  100
Time taken =  2.22  106 sec.
2.25  1010
Equivalent optical path =   distance travelled in water
4
  500  666.64 m.
3

Problem 3. In Young’s experiment for interference of light two narrow slits 0.2 cm apart are illuminated
by yellow light (  5896 Å). What would be the fringe width on a screen placed 1 m from
the plane of slits. What will be the fringe width if the whole system is immersed in water
(  4 / 3)?
Solution: As here d  2  103 m,   5896  1010 m and D = 1 m,

D 1  5896  1010
 ()  3
 2.948  104 m 0.3mm
d 2  10
 Now if the system is immersed in water,
() w  w v
  [as v  f and f = constt.]
  c

 c
or () w  ( / )  as   v 
 
 () w  (0.3)  (3/ 4)  0.225 mm.

Problem 4. A beam of light consisting of two wavelengths 6500 Å and 5200 Å is used to obtain interfer-
ence fringes in a Young’s double slit experiment. (a) Find the distance of the third bright
fringe on the screen from the central maxima for the wavelength 6500 Å. (b) What is the
least distance from the central maxima where the bright fringes due to both the wavelengths
coincide? The distance between the slits is 2 mm and the distance between the plane of the
slits and screen is 120 cm.
Solution: (a) According to theory of interference, position y of a point on the screen is given by
D
y ( x)
d
and as for 3rd maximum x  3
D 120
y (3 )  (3  6500  108 )cm  0.117 cm
d 0.2
also as   (D / d), y  3, i.e.,   (y / 3)  0.039 cm.
(b) If n is the least number of fringes of 1 (  6500 Å), which are coincident with (n + 1) of
smaller wavelength  2 (  5200 Å),
n  1  1
y  n  (n  1) , i.e.,  
n   2

2 5200 5200
or n      6500  5200  1300  4
1 2

So y  4  4  0.039  0.156 cm.

Problem 5. In a modified Young’s double slit experiment, a monochromatic uniform and parallel beam of
light of wavelength 6000 Å and intensity (10 / ) W / m 2 is incident normally on two circular
apertures A and B of radii 0.001 m and 0.002 m respectively. A perfectly transparent film of
thickness 2000 Å and refractive index 1.5 for wavelength 6000 Å is placed in front of
aperture A. Calculate the power (in watts) received at the focal spot F of the lens. The lens
is symmetrically placed with respect to the aperture. Assume that 10% of the power re-
ceived by each aperture goes in the original direction and is bought to the focal spot.

Solution: As intensity and power are defined as

E E
I , P  , and P  IS
St t
So power received at A and B is respectively,
 10 10
PA   (0.001)2  105 W and PB   (0.002) 2  4  105 W
 
and as only 10% of the incident power passes,
10 10
PA   105  106 W and PB   4  105  4  106 W
100 100
Now as due to introduction of film the path difference produced
x  (  1)t  (1.5  1)  2000  1000 Å
2 2  L
So,  (x)   1000 
 6000 3 A
But as in interference,
F
I  I1  I 2  2 I1I 2 cos 
B
and if S is the area of focal sport,
P  IS  I AS  IBS  2S( I A I B ) cos 

i.e., P  PA  PB  2 PA PB cos(  / 3)

or, P  106 [1  4  2( 1  4)  (1/ 2)]  7 10 6 watt.

AIR i
Problem 6. In the figure shown, for an angle of incidence i at the top
surface, what is the minimum refractive index needed for r
total internal reflection at the vertical face?
Solution: Applying Snell’s law at the top surface 
 sin r  sin i …(i) c
For total internal reflection the vertical face c

 sin c  1
Using geometry, c  90o  r
  sin(90  r)  1
or  cos r  1 …(ii)
On squaring and adding equation (i) and (ii), we get
 2 sin 2 r   2 cos2 r  1  sin 2i

or   1  sin 2 i .
R
Problem 7. A point source of light is placed at the bottom of a tank
containing a liquid (refractive index =  ) upto a depth h. A c c
bright circular spot is seen on the surface of the liquid. Find h
the radius of this bright spot. 
Solution: Rays coming out of the source and incident at an angle
greater than c will be reflected back into the liquid there-
S
fore, the corresponding region on the surface will appear
dark. As is obvious from the figure, the radius of the bright
spot is given by
 h sin c h sin 
R  h tan c  or R
cos c 1  sin 2 c

1
Since sin c 

h
R .
 2  1

Problem 8. The cross-section of the glass prism has the form of an A

isosceles triangle. One of the equal faces is silvered. A ray 
i
of light incident normally on the other equal face and after i
being reflected twice, emerges through the base of prism 
along the normal. Find the angle of the prism. 
Solution: From the figure, 
o 
  90  A
i  90o    A …(i)
Also   90 o  2i  90 o  2A
and   90o    2A
Thus,   r  2A
From geometry,
A      180o .
180
or A  36o .
5

Problem 9. For the optical arrangement shown in the figure.

=1 =1.33

1cm
O C

20cm
40cm

Solution: According to Cartesian sign convention

u = - 40 cm, R = - 20 cm
  1,  2  1.33
Applying equation for refraction through spherical surface, we get
 2 1  2  1
 
v u R
 1.33 1 1.33  1
 
v 40 20
After solving, v = - 32 cm.
h 2 1 v
The magnification is m  
h1  2 u
h2 1(32)
  or h 2  0.6 cm
1 1.33(40)
The positive sign shows that the image is erect.

Problem 10. A lens has a power of +5 diopter in air. What will be its power if completely immersed in
3 4
water ? Given  g  ; w 
2 3

Solution: Let f a and f w be the focal lengths of the lens in air water respectively, then

1 w
Pa  and Pw 
fa fw
f a = 0.2 m = 20 cm
Using lensmaker’s formula

1 1 1 
Pa   (g  1)    ...(i)
fa  R1 R 2 

1  g  1 1 
  1   
f w   w   R1 R 2 

w 1 1 
 Pw   ( g   w )    ...(ii)
fw  R1 R 2 
Dividing equation (ii) by equation (i), we get,
Pw ( g   w ) 1
 
Pa (g  1) 3

Pa 5
or Pw   D
3 3

Problem 11. A thin plano-convex lens of focal length f is split into two
halves. One of the halves is shifted along the optical axis.
The separation between object and image plane is 1.8 m. O
The magnification of the image formed by one of the half-
lenses is 2. Find the focal-length of the lens and separation
between the two halves. 1.8m
Solution: This is a modified displacement method problem.
a d 2
Here a  1.8m and 
a d 1
Solving we get d = 0.6 m
a2  d2
 f  0.4 m .
4a

Problem 12. In an interference arrangement similar to Young’s double-slit experiment, slits S1 and S2 are
illuminated with coherent microwave sources each of frequency 1 MHz. The sources are
synchronized to have zero phase difference. The slits are separated by distance d = 150.0 m.
The intensity I( ) is measured as a function of  , where  is defined as shown in figure. If
I0 is maximum intensity, calculate I( ) for (a)   0o , (b)   30o and (c)   90o .
Solution: For microwaves, as c  f ,
c 3  108
   300 m
f 106
P
and as x  d sin  S1
y

2 2 d 
 (d sin )  (150 sin )   sin 
 300

}
S2 x
So, D
I  I1  I 2  2( I1I 2 ) cos 
with I1  I2 and    sin 
reduces to I R  2I1[1  cos( sin )]  4I1 cos 2 ( sin  / 2)
and as IR will be max. when cos2 [( (sin ) / 2]  max  1
So that, (IR ) max  4I1  I0 (given)
and hence, I  I0 cos 2 [( sin ) / 2] …(i)
So (a) If   0 I  I 0 cos 2 (0)  I0
(b) If   30o I  I 0 cos2 (  / 4)  (I0 / 2)
(c) I   90o I  I0 cos 2 ( / 2)  0

Problem 13. What is the effect on the interference fringes in a YDSE due to each of the following
operations.
(a) the screen is moved away from the plane of the slits
(b) the (monochromatic) source is replaced by another (monochromatic) source of shorter
wavelength
(c) the separation between the two slits is increased
(d) the monochromatic source is replaced by source of white light
(e) the whole experimental setup is placed in a medium of refractive index 

Solution : (a) Angular separation (  ) of the fringes remains constant. But the linear separation or
d
 fringe width increase in proportion to the distance (D) from the screen.
(b) As  decreases, fringe width (   ) decreases
1
(c) As d increases, fringe width (  ) decreases
d
(d) The interference pattern due to different component colours of white light overlap (in-
coherently). The central bright fringes of different colours are at the same position on
either side of the central white fringe is blue; the farthest is red.

(e) Since in a medium the wavelength of light is  '  , therefore the fringe width is given

 'D D
by    .
d d
Thus, fringe width decreased by a factor  .

Problem 14. Light from a source consists of two wavelength 1  6500A and  2  5200A . If D = 2m
and d = 6.5 mm find the minimum value of y ( 0) where the maxima of both the wave-
lengths coincide.
Solution: Let n1 th maxima of 1 coincides with n 2 th maxima of  2

Then y n1  y n 2

n11D n 2  2 D n1 1 5200 4
or  or   
d d n 2  2 6500 5
Thus, fourth maxima of 1 coincides with fifth maxima of  2
The minimum value of y ( 0) is given by

41D 4(0.65  106 )(2)

y   0.8 mm .
d 6.5 103

Problem 15. In a YDSE,   60 nm; D = 2m;   6 mm. Find the positions of a point lying between third
maxima and third minima where the intensity is three-fourth of the maximum intensity on the
screen.
Solution: Using equation

I  4I0 cos 2
2
3
here I  (4I0 )  3I 0
4
 3
 cos 
2 2
  
Thus,  n 
2 6

or   2n 
3
2 2  d.yn 
Since  p  
   D 
2 dy n 
  2n 
 D 3
 1  D
or yn   n  
 6 d
For the point lying between third minima and third maxima,
 1  D
n = 3 and y3   3  
 6 d
17 D
or y3 
6 d
Putting   0.6  106 m; D  2m;d  6 mm

17 (0.6  106 )(2)

y3   5.67 mm .
6 6 103