Questions from College Physics

Q: What is the index of refraction of the core of an optical

What is the index of refraction of the core of an optical fiber if the cladding has n = 1.20 and the critical angle at the core-cladding boundary is 45.0°?

Q: In an experiment to measure the index of refraction of human skin

In an experiment to measure the index of refraction of human skin, it was found that if a beam of unpolarized light was shone on a skin sample from air at an incident angle of 54.7°, the reflected lig...

Q: A 6.0 kg object is at rest on a frictionless

A 6.0 kg object is at rest on a frictionless surface when it is struck head-on by a 2.0 kg object moving at 10 m/s. If the collision is elastic, what is the speed of the 6.0 kg object after the collis...

Q: Some glasses used for viewing 3D movies are polarized, one lens

Some glasses used for viewing 3D movies are polarized, one lens having a vertical transmission axis and the other horizontal. While standing in line on a winter afternoon for a 3D movie and looking th...

Q: (a) Sunlight reflected from the still surface of a lake

(a) Sunlight reflected from the still surface of a lake is totally polarized when the incident light is at what angle with respect to the horizontal? (b) In what direction is the reflected light pola...

Q: Light travels in a medium with index n1 toward a boundary with

Light travels in a medium with index n1 toward a boundary with another material of index n2 < n1. (a) Which is larger, the critical angle or Brewster's angle? Does the answer depend on the values of...

Q: What is the purpose of the gel that is spread over the

What is the purpose of the gel that is spread over the skin before an ultrasonic imaging procedure? [Hint: The speed of sound in the gel is similar to the speed in the body, while the speed in air is...

Q: At a marine animal park, Alison is looking through a glass

At a marine animal park, Alison is looking through a glass window and watching dolphins swim underwater. If the dolphin is swimming directly toward her at 15 m/s, how fast does the dolphin appear to b...

Q: A spherical wave (from a point source) reflects from a

A spherical wave (from a point source) reflects from a planar surface. Draw a ray diagram and sketch some wavefronts for the reflected wave.

Q: A spaceship traveling 12.3 km/s relative to Earth

A spaceship traveling 12.3 km/s relative to Earth sends out an EM pulse with a wavelength of 850.00 nm (as measured by the source). The pulse is reflected from another spaceship that is moving toward...