Chapter 21, Problem 53P

Oxygenated hemoglobin absorbs weakly in the red (hence its red color) and strongly in the near infrared, whereas deoxygenated hemoglobin has the opposite absorption. This fact is used in a “pulse oximeter” to measure oxygen saturation in arterial blood. The device clips onto the end of a person’s finger and has two light-emitting diodes—a red (660. nm) and an infrared (940. nm)—and a photocell that detects the amount of light transmitted through the linger at each wavelength. (a) Determine the frequency of each of these light sources. (b) If 67% of the energy of the red source is absorbed in the blood, by what factor does the amplitude of the electromagnetic wave change? Hint: The intensity of the wave is equal to the average power per unit area as given by Equation 21.28.