Question

Compute the position and diameter of the image of the Moon in a polished sphere of diameter 20 cm. The diameter of the Moon is 3500 km, and its distance from the Earth is 384,000 km.

a. Apply the Law of Gravitation
b. Utilize Kepler's Laws
c. Use Snell's Law
d. Calculate using the formula for magnification and distance

Answer 1

The position and diameter of the image of the Moon in a polished sphere of diameter 20 cm can be calculated using Snell's Law and the refractive index of glass.

Step-by-step explanation:

The position and diameter of the image of the Moon in a polished sphere of diameter 20 cm can be calculated using Snell's Law.

Snell's Law relates the angles of incidence and refraction for light passing through different mediums. In this case, the light is passing from air (outside the sphere) to the glass of the sphere.

To find the position and diameter of the image, we need to calculate the refractive index of glass, which is given by the ratio of the speed of light in air to the speed of light in glass. Once we have the refractive index, we can use Snell's Law to find the angle of refraction and then calculate the position and diameter of the image using basic geometric principles.