The maximum resolution of the eye depends on the diameter of the opening of the pupil (a diffraction effect) and the size of the retinal cells. The size of the retinal cells (about 5.0 mm in diameter) limits the size of an object at the near point (25 cm) of the eye to a height of about 50 µm. (To get a reasonable estimate without having to go through complicated calculations, we shall ignore the effect of the fluid in the eye.) (a) Given that the diameter of the human pupil is about 2.0 mm, does the Rayleigh criterion allow us to resolve a 50 -µm -tall object at 25 cm from the eye with light of wavelength 550 nm? (b) According to the Rayleigh criterion, what is the shortest object we could resolve at the 25 cm near point with light of wavelength 550 nm? (c) What angle would the object in part (b) subtend at the eye? Express your answer in minutes 160 min = 1°2, and compare it with the experimental value of about 1 min. (d) Which effect is more important in limiting the resolution of our eyes: diffraction or the size of the retinal cells?

The maximum resolution of the eye depends on the diameter of the opening of the pupil (a diffraction effect) and the size of the retinal cells. The size of the retinal cells (about 5.0 mm in diameter) limits the size of an object at the near point (25 cm) of the eye to a height of about 50 µm. (To get a reasonable estimate without having to go through complicated calculations, we shall ignore the effect of the fluid in the eye.) (a) Given that the diameter of the human pupil is about 2.0 mm, does the Rayleigh criterion allow us to resolve a 50 -µm -tall object at 25 cm from the eye with light of wavelength 550 nm? (b) According to the Rayleigh criterion, what is the shortest object we could resolve at the 25 cm near point with light of wavelength 550 nm? (c) What angle would the object in part (b) subtend at the eye? Express your answer in minutes 160 min = 1°2, and compare it with the experimental value of about 1 min. (d) Which effect is more important in limiting the resolution of our eyes: diffraction or the size of the retinal cells?

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Diffraction due to a circular aperture is important in astronomy. Since a telescope has a circular aperture of finite size, stars are not imaged as points, but rather as diffraction patterns. Two distinct points are said to be just resolved (i.e., have the smallest separation for which you can confidently tell that there are two points instead of just one) when the center of one point's diffraction pattern is found in the first dark ring of the other point's diffraction pattern. This is called Rayleigh's criterion for resolvability. Consider a telescope with an aperture of diameter 1.02 m. Part D What is the angular radius 0₁ of the first dark ring for a point source being imaged by this telescope? Use 550 nanometers for the wavelength, since this is near the average for visible light. Express your answer in degrees, to three significant figures. xa — ΑΣΦ Xb 0₁ 5.39 10 = 7 √x x x <४ |X| Submit Previous Answers Request Answer ? X.10n X You have already submitted this answer. Enter a new…
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