Question 13 Marks
The absolute refractive index of air is 1.0003 and the wavelength of yellow light in a vacuum is $6000 \stackrel{\circ}{A}$ . Find the thickness of air column which will contain one more wavelength of yellow light than in the same thickness of vacuum.
Answer
View full question & answer→Wavelength of yellow light in vacuum,
$\lambda=6000 \stackrel{\circ}{A}$
Wavelength of yellow light in air
$\lambda^{\prime}=\frac{\lambda}{\mu}=\frac{6000}{1.0003} \stackrel{\circ}{A}$
Let a thickness t of vacuum contain n waves and the same thickness t of air contain n + 1 waves.
Then $n =\frac{t}{\lambda}=\frac{t}{6000 \stackrel{\circ}{A}}$
and $n +1=\frac{t}{\lambda^{\prime}}=\frac{1.0003 t}{6000 \stackrel{\circ}{A}}$
$n +1=\frac{t}{\lambda^{\prime}}=\frac{1.0003 t}{6000 \stackrel{\circ}{A}}$
$\frac{t}{6000 \stackrel{\circ}{A}}+1=\frac{1.003 t}{0.0003}$ or $t +6000 \stackrel{\circ}{A}=1.0003 t$
or $t =\frac{6000}{0.0003}=2 \times 10^7 \stackrel{\circ}{A}=2 mm$.
$\lambda=6000 \stackrel{\circ}{A}$
Wavelength of yellow light in air
$\lambda^{\prime}=\frac{\lambda}{\mu}=\frac{6000}{1.0003} \stackrel{\circ}{A}$
Let a thickness t of vacuum contain n waves and the same thickness t of air contain n + 1 waves.
Then $n =\frac{t}{\lambda}=\frac{t}{6000 \stackrel{\circ}{A}}$
and $n +1=\frac{t}{\lambda^{\prime}}=\frac{1.0003 t}{6000 \stackrel{\circ}{A}}$
$n +1=\frac{t}{\lambda^{\prime}}=\frac{1.0003 t}{6000 \stackrel{\circ}{A}}$
$\frac{t}{6000 \stackrel{\circ}{A}}+1=\frac{1.003 t}{0.0003}$ or $t +6000 \stackrel{\circ}{A}=1.0003 t$
or $t =\frac{6000}{0.0003}=2 \times 10^7 \stackrel{\circ}{A}=2 mm$.



