Question

Select the correct way to complete the following statement: in a newton's rings interference pattern the rings become narrower as you move outward from the centre because__________:

a. the film thickness changes more rapidly with increasing distance from the centre.
b. cross out shorter wavelengths exhibit interference further from the centre.
c. cross out longer wavelengths exhibit interference further from the centre.
d. cross out the width of the gap is greater further from the centre.
e. cross out the lens is thinner further from the centr

Answer 1

In Newton's rings, the rings become narrower as the distance from the centre increases due to the more rapid change in the film's thickness, which causes the light rays to travel an additional half-wavelength or multiple thereof.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct way to complete the following statement: In a Newton's rings interference pattern, the rings become narrower as you move outward from the centre because the film thickness changes more rapidly with increasing distance from the centre. This is related to the properties of thin-film interference, which is a result of the constructive and destructive interference of light waves reflected from both the upper and lower surfaces of the film. As the distance from the centre increases, the curvature of the surfaces involved causes a more rapid change in the film's thickness, leading to a change in the interference condition. Hence, each successive ring of a given color indicates a change in the thickness of the air film between the lens surfaces as light rays travel an additional half-wavelength or a multiple thereof, leading to precise measurement of changes in this air film's thickness.