What is the minimum thickness of a soap bubble that will appear black in reflect

Practice Questions

Q1
What is the minimum thickness of a soap bubble that will appear black in reflected light?
  1. λ/4
  2. λ/2
  3. λ
  4. 3λ/4

Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions

What is the minimum thickness of a soap bubble that will appear black in reflected light?
  • Step 1: Understand that a soap bubble has two surfaces: the outer surface and the inner surface.
  • Step 2: When light hits the bubble, some light reflects off the outer surface and some reflects off the inner surface.
  • Step 3: The light reflecting off the inner surface travels a little further than the light reflecting off the outer surface.
  • Step 4: This extra distance can cause the two reflected light waves to interfere with each other.
  • Step 5: For the bubble to appear black, the two waves must cancel each other out, which is called destructive interference.
  • Step 6: Destructive interference occurs when the difference in distance traveled by the two waves is equal to half a wavelength (λ/2) or an odd multiple of it.
  • Step 7: However, because one wave reflects off a denser medium (the soap), it undergoes a phase change of π (or half a wavelength).
  • Step 8: To achieve destructive interference, the effective path difference must be λ/4, which is the condition for the bubble to appear black.
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