A scientist wants to demonstrate why the sky appears blue during the day and reddish at sunset using a glass tank of water, a flashlight, and a small amount of milk. Which setup best demonstrates light scattering similar to that observed in the atmosphere?
Mixing a small amount of milk into the water and shining the flashlight through the tank from the side to observe scattered light.
The blue sky and reddish sunset are caused by scattering of sunlight by tiny particles and molecules in the atmosphere: shorter (blue) wavelengths scatter more strongly. To copy this in the lab you need very small suspended particles that scatter light sideways, and you need to view the scattered light from the side (not the transmitted beam). A very small amount of milk in water gives fine fat globules that act like the atmospheric particles, and shining the flashlight through the tank while looking from the side lets you see the bluish scattered light.
Clear water alone has no scattering particles, so shining light through it or onto it just gives transmitted or reflected light and no colour effect. Adding a large amount of milk makes the mixture opaque; the beam cannot pass through and cannot be observed clearly from any side. Only a small amount of milk with the flashlight aimed through the tank and the eye placed at the side keeps the particle density small enough to see the scattered light.
Hence, the answer is Mixing a small amount of milk into the water and shining the flashlight through the tank from the side to observe scattered light.
Similar Questions
To get a virtual, erect and enlarged image using a spherical mirror, the object must be placed _____________.
If a lens produces an image twice as tall as the object, what is the magnification produced by the lens?
When an object is placed at 2F1 of a convex lens, where is the image formed?
The measure of an image's clarity is called _________, whereas _________ is the brightness difference between object parts.
Which of the following best describes the power of accommodation of the human eye?
An object is placed 15 cm from a concave lens of focal length 10 cm. What is the nature and position of the image formed by the lens?
With ageing, the power of accommodation of the human eye decreases, causing difficulty in viewing nearby objects clearly. This defect is known as:
Why does the sky appear blue to human observers during daytime?
Which of the following best describes the image formed by a concave mirror when the object is placed just beyond the focal point but before the center of curvature?
A ray passing through the center of curvature of a concave mirror strikes the mirror. What is the path of the reflected ray?
Important Questions from Optics
Who was the first one to use a glass prism to obtain the spectrum of sunlight?
Twinkling of stars is due to:
In which a convex mirror is used?
A. Rear View mirrors in vehicles
B. Glass windows
C. Makeup Mirror
D. Kaleidoscope
What is the reason for formation of Mirage in desert?
An object is placed 10 cm in front of a lens. The image formed is real, inverted and of same size as the object. What is the focal length and nature of the lens?
