Chapter 28, Problem 84GP

PredictfCalculate Sodium light, with a wavelength of λ = 589 nm, shines downward onto the system shown in Figure 28-47. When viewed from above, you see a series of concentric circles known as Newton’s rings. (a) Do you expect a bright or a dark spot at the center of the pattern? Explain. (b) If the radius of curvature of the plane-convex lens is R = 26.1 m, what is the radius of the tenth-largest dark ring? (Only rings of nonzero radius will be counted as “rings.”)