Question

Which telescope has a better (smaller) angular resolution: a 2-m telescope observing visible light (wavelength 5.0×10-7 m) or a 10-m radio telescope observing radio waves (wavelength 2.1×10-2 m)?

Answer 1

The 2-m telescope observing visible light has a better (smaller) angular resolution than the 10-m radio telescope observing radio waves.

Step-by-step explanation:

In order to determine which telescope has a better (smaller) angular resolution, we need to calculate the angular resolution for each telescope. The formula for angular resolution is given by θ ≈ 1.22λ/D, where λ is the wavelength of light and D is the diameter of the telescope's aperture.

For the 2-m telescope observing visible light with a wavelength of 5.0×10-7 m, the angular resolution is approximately 1.22×(5.0×10-7)/(2) = 3.05×10-7 radians.

For the 10-m radio telescope observing radio waves with a wavelength of 2.1×10-2 m, the angular resolution is approximately 1.22×(2.1×10-2)/(10) = 2.54×10-3 radians.

Therefore, the 2-m telescope observing visible light has a better (smaller) angular resolution than the 10-m radio telescope observing radio waves.