In a thin film of oil on water, which color will appear at the topmost layer if
Practice Questions
Q1
In a thin film of oil on water, which color will appear at the topmost layer if the film is of thickness comparable to the wavelength of blue light?
Red
Green
Blue
Yellow
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
In a thin film of oil on water, which color will appear at the topmost layer if the film is of thickness comparable to the wavelength of blue light?
Step 1: Understand that a thin film of oil on water can create colorful patterns due to interference of light.
Step 2: Know that different colors of light have different wavelengths. Blue light has a shorter wavelength compared to other colors.
Step 3: Recognize that when light hits the thin film, some light reflects off the top surface and some light reflects off the bottom surface (the oil-water interface).
Step 4: Realize that the thickness of the oil film affects how these reflected light waves interact with each other.
Step 5: If the thickness of the oil film is similar to the wavelength of blue light, the blue light will be more prominently reflected.
Step 6: Conclude that the color that will appear at the topmost layer of the oil film is blue.
