Question
Describe the Tyndall effect.

Answer

  • The earth’s atmosphere is a heterogeneous mixture of minute particles such as smoke particles, tiny water droplets, suspended dust particles and molecules of air.
  • When a beam of light strikes such ${ }^{\dagger} colloidal$ particles, the path of light beam becomes visible due to diffused light by these particles.
  • This phenomenon of scattering of light by the colloidal particles is known as the Tyndall effect.
  • Light rays reach us after the dispersion of light in all the directions from these particles.
  • Examples of the Tyndall effect:
  • $(1)$ When a fine beam of sunlight enters into a smoke filled room through a small hole, a spread path of the beam becomes visible.
  • $(2)$ When the sunlight enters a canopy of dense forest, the Tyndall effect is seen due to the scattering of light through tiny water droplets of mist.
  • $(3)$ Sometimes smoke emitted by the combustion of engine oil appears blue in colour due to the Tyndall effect.
  • This phenomenon is developed commercially to determine the size and density of aerosol and other colloidal particles.

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