Problem 7 Why can't you walk to the end of... [FREE SOLUTION] (2024)

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Chapter 30: Problem 7

Why can't you walk to the end of the rainbow?

Short Answer

Expert verified

It's impossible to walk to the end of a rainbow because a rainbow is not a physical object with a specific location. It's an optical phenomenon that depends on the viewer's position relative to the sun and the rain droplets in the sky. As you move towards it, it appears to move away from you, hence you can't reach it.

Step by step solution

Understanding Rainbows

A rainbow is not a physical entity, it is an optical phenomenon caused by the refraction and reflection of light in water droplets. It's a spectrum of light that appears when the sun shines onto droplets of moisture in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Viewpoint Perspective

The rainbow's appearance depends on the observer's viewpoint. The rainbow is always on the opposite side of the sky from the sun and the center of the circular arc of the rainbow is an imaginary point directly opposite the sun from the observer's perspective.

Chasing Rainbows

As you move towards a rainbow, it will appear to 'move' as well. Because a rainbow is all about geometry and your viewing position, it is impossible for an observer to walk around a rainbow and reach an edge. As you move, the rainbow that your eyes see also moves.

Conclusion

A rainbow doesn't have a specific location in the sky. Its apparent position depends on where you're observing from. Therefore, you can't walk to the end of the rainbow, as it is always 'moving' with you.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Find the critical angle for total internal reflection in (a) ice, (b)polystyrenc, and (c) rutile, when the surrounding medium is air.You're an automotive engineer charged with evaluating safety glass, which ismade by bonding a layer of flexible plastic between two layers of glass, thuseliminating dangerous glass fragments during accidents. A new product usesglass with refractive index \(n=1.55\) and plastic with \(n=1.48 .\) You're askedto determine whether total internal reflection at the glass-plastic interfacecould cause problems with visibility. What do you conclude, and why?In cataract surgery, ophthalmologists replace the eye's natural lens with asynthetic intraocular lens, or IOL. A particular IOL has refractive index\(1.452 .\) Find the angle of refraction for a light ray striking this lens withincidence angle \(77.0^{\circ} .\) The medium before the IOL is the eye'saqueous humor, a liquid with \(n=1.337.\)A slab of transparent material has thickness \(d\) and refractive index \(n\) thatvaries across the material: \(n(x)=n_{1}+\left(n_{2}-n_{1}\right)(x / d)^{2}\)where \(x\) is measured from one face of the slab. A light ray is incidentnormally on the slab. Find an expression for the time it takes to traverse theslab.You look at the center of one face of a solid glass cube of glass, on a lineof sight making a \(55^{\circ}\) angle with the normal to the cube face. Whatminimum refractive index of the glass will let you see through the cube'sopposite face?

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