Answer: MiragesThere is an interesting optical effect you | StudySoup

Textbook Solutions for College Physics

Chapter 18 Problem 77PP

Question

Problem 77PP

Mirages

There is an interesting optical effect you have likely noticed while driving along a flat stretch of road on a sunny day. A small, distant dip in the road appears to be filled with water. You may even see the reflection of an oncoming car. But, as you get closer, you find no puddle of water after all; the shimmering surface vanishes, and you see nothing but empty road. It was only a mirage, the name for this phenomenon.

The mirage is due to the different index of refraction of hot and cool air. The actual bending of the light rays that produces the mirage is subtle, but we can make a simple model as follows. When air is heated, its density decreases and so does its index of refraction. Consequently, a pocket of hot air in a dip in a road has a lower index of refraction than the cooler air above it. Incident light rays with large angles of incidence (that is, nearly parallel to the road, as shown in Figure P18.78) experience total internal reflection. The mirage that you see is due to this reflection. As you get nearer, the angle goes below the critical angle and there is no more total internal reflection; the “water” disappears!

If you could clearly see the image of an object that was reflected by a mirage, the image would appear

A. Magnified.

B. With up and down reversed.

C. Farther away than the object.

D. With right and left reversed.

Solution

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The first step in solving 18 problem number trying to solve the problem we have to refer to the textbook question: Problem 77PPMiragesThere is an interesting optical effect you have likely noticed while driving along a flat stretch of road on a sunny day. A small, distant dip in the road appears to be filled with water. You may even see the reflection of an oncoming car. But, as you get closer, you find no puddle of water after all; the shimmering surface vanishes, and you see nothing but empty road. It was only a mirage, the name for this phenomenon.The mirage is due to the different index of refraction of hot and cool air. The actual bending of the light rays that produces the mirage is subtle, but we can make a simple model as follows. When air is heated, its density decreases and so does its index of refraction. Consequently, a pocket of hot air in a dip in a road has a lower index of refraction than the cooler air above it. Incident light rays with large angles of incidence (that is, nearly parallel to the road, as shown in Figure P18.78) experience total internal reflection. The mirage that you see is due to this reflection. As you get nearer, the angle goes below the critical angle and there is no more total internal reflection; the “water” disappears!If you could clearly see the image of an object that was reflected by a mirage, the image would appearA. Magnified.B. With up and down reversed.C. Farther away than the object.D. With right and left reversed.
From the textbook chapter Ray Optics you will find a few key concepts needed to solve this.

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full solution

Title College Physics 12 
Author Randall D. Knight
ISBN 9780321595492

Answer: MiragesThere is an interesting optical effect you

Chapter 18 textbook questions

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