Chapter 19, Problem 42A

To determine

To Explain:A telescope with a small diameter would be unable to resolve the images of two closely spaced stars.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:

The angular resolving power of a telescope refers to the ability of the telescope to distinctly view two nearby objects.

The resolving power of a telescope depends on the wavelength of the light $\left(\lambda \right)$ and diameter of the telescope $\left(D\right)$ .

  $\theta =1.22\frac{\lambda }{D}$

Either a telescope with big diameter or a smaller wavelength of light can increase the resolving power of a telescope.

Conclusion:

The resolving power of telescope depends on the diameter of the telescope. A small diameter telescope won’t be able view two nearby objects distinctly.