The following constants may be of use:

1. hc = 1240 eV nm
2. c = 3 × 108 m/s

Multiple Choice (11 Points)

1. (1 point) An electron emits electromagnetic radiation, losing 2.4 eV in
the process. What color of light is emitted?
A. Red B. Blue C. Green D. Violet E. No visible light is
emitted

1.
2. (1 point) Which of the following is the most reasonable absorption spec-
trum for a blue dress?

1.50

1.25 (A)
(C)
(D)
Absorbance

1.00

0.75

0.50
(B)
0.25

0.00
300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
Wavelength (nm)

2.

Page 2
3. (1 point) What color light is formed by mixing magenta and cyan light?
A. Red B. Yellow C. Green D. Blue E. White

3.

4. (1 point) What color dye is formed by mixing magenta and cyan dye?
A. Red B. Yellow C. Green D. Blue E. Black

4.

5. (1 point) ∗ (TB3) Consider a diffraction grating setup with a screen a

distance of L = 1 m and slits separated by a distance of d = 1 mm. What
is the gap between bright fringes if red light is used?
A. 700 pm B. 700 nm C. 700 µm D. 700 mm E. 700 m

5.

6. (1 point) ∗ (TB2) Dr. Thorne blows a soap bubble with an index of

refraction of 4/3. Red bands appear near the bubble’s center under white
light. What is the ratio between the smallest possible thickness of the
soap bubble and the second smallest?
A. 1/4 B. 1/3 C. 3/4 D. 4/3 E. 3

6.

Page 3
7. (1 point) A modified Cassegrain telescope uses a parabolic primary mirror
with focal length 20 cm and a flat secondary mirror. Suppose the telescope
is designed so that the eyepiece ends 4 cm behind the primary mirror. How
far in front of the primary mirror should the secondary mirror be placed?
A. 4 cm B. 8 cm C. 16 cm D. 24 cm E. This setup is not
possible.

7.

8. (3 points) Laser cooling refers to using lasers to slow down the thermal
motion of atoms associated with heat.
(a) Laser cooling relies on using the momentum of photons to slow down
atoms. What is the momentum of a photon with wavelength 500 nm?
A. 2.5 eV/c B. 2.5 MeV/c C. 3.7 eV/c D. 8.3 neV/c
E. 8.3 eV/c
(a)

Page 4
 (b) One form of laser cooling relies on the fact that the wavelength of a
photon increases if an atom moves towards it and decreases if an atom
moves away from the photon, creating a force from this difference in
momenta. What is the name of this phenomenon?
A. Stimulated Emission
B. Selection Rule
C. Doppler Effect
D. Population Inversion
E. Birefringence Effect
(b)
(c) To function, laser systems need more atoms in a higher energy metastable
state than atoms in the lower energy ground state, a phenomenon
known as
A. Stimulated Emission
B. Optical Amplification
C. Pump Transition
D. Population Inversion
E. Stochastic Absorption
(c)

9. (1 point) Devices like CDs and DVDs work by engraving depressions or

“pits” onto the smooth surface of a circular disk. A laser then reads
the information from the pits, which act like a diffraction grating; the
wavelength of the laser must be precise enough to be contained in a pit.
Traditional CDs use a near-infrared wavelength close to 800 nm, but discs
like Blu-Rays use a blue wavelength, nearly indigo, at 400 nm. Roughly
what is the ratio of the amount of information that can be stored on a
CD to a Blu-Ray of the same radius?
A. 1/4 B. 1/2 C. 1 D. 2 E. 4

9.

Page 5
Short Answer (18 Points)
1. (3 points) A painting consists of orange and black when viewed under
white light.
(a) What colors appear in the painting under blue light?

Solution: Only black will appear. The orange parts of the paint-
ing absorb blue and some green light, so it will appear black under
blue light. The black parts of the painting absorbs all light, so it
will still appear black.

(b) Magenta light?

Solution: Red and black appear. The orange parts of the paint-
ing absorb the blue component of magnets, appearing red. The
black remains black. Award 0.5 points for listing each color.

(c) Green light?

Solution: (Dark) green and black appear. The orange parts of

the painting absorb some component of the green light, resulting
in a darker green. The black remains black. Award 0.5 points for
listing each color.

2. (4 points) A coherent light wave traveling through air (n = 1) is incident

on a piece of glass (n′ = 1.6) at an angle of 30◦ to the normal.
(a) At what angle relative to the normal in the glass does the refracted

Page 6
 wave travel?
(a) 18.2◦

Solution:

• (0.5 point) correctly applying Snell’s Law

• (1.5 point) correct final answer

(b) What are the ratios of the speeds, v ′ /v, the wavelengths, λ′ /λ, and
the frequencies f ′ /f of the waves in the glass to the waves in air?

Solution:

• (1 point) f ′ /f = 1 using boundary conditions.

• (0.5 point) v ′ /v = 1/n by definition.

• (0.5 point) λ′ /λ = v ′ f /vf ′ = 1/n

Page 7
3. (3 points) White light enters a glass prism in the shape of an isosceles
right triangle, splitting into multiple colors as shown in Figure. 1.

∆θ

Figure 1: Caption

(a) (1 point) What is the name of the phenomenon in which light splits
into multiple colors?
(a) dispersion

(b) (2 points) The color splitting happens because the index of refraction
in the glass is dependent on the wavelength of light. Suppose the glass
has index of refraction nr = 1.3 for red light with the longest wave
length and nv = 1.2 for violet light with the shortest wavelength.
What is the spread in angles ∆θ of the refracted light?

Solution: All wavelengths of light will have an angle of incidence

of 45◦ with the edge of the triangle. By Snell’s Law, they will then
bend to an angle θ determined by

n sin 45◦ = sin θ

assuming air has refractive index 1. Thus for a wavelength λ

Page 8
  √ 
θλ = arcsin nλ / 2 , so the spread is
√ √
∆θ = arcsin(1.3/ 2) − arcsin(1.2/ 2) = 8.8◦

• (0.5 point) correctly applying Snell’s Law

• (1.5 point) correct final answer

Page 9
4. (2 points) Consider a hemispherical mirror and place a small object with
height h at its center, as shown below. Is the image real or virtual, and
is it upright or inverted?

4. real, inverted

Figure 2: Ray Tracing

5. (2 points) Ray trace on Fig. 2 above to depict the final image.

Solution: The focal point of a hemispherical mirror is half the dis-

tance to the center. Thus the final image should be directly below the
original object, and all relevant rays should go through the midpoint
of the object and the location where the mirror crosses the x-axis.

• (0.5 points) correct image position

• (0.5 points) correct image size (magnitude and direction)

• (0.5 point) at least one correct ray

• (0.5 point) no incorrect rays (but at least one correct)

Page 10
6. (4 points) ∗ (TB1) Line up n polarizers so that any pair of adjacent po-
larizers are offset by an angle 2π/(n − 1) (radians) and the first polarizer
is aligned with the last polarizer. A beam of intensity I0 passes through
this polarizer setup.
(a) What is the resulting intensity, in terms of I0 and n?
(b) As the number of polarizers approaches infinity, what does this in-
tensity approach?

Solution: The first polarizer will polarize the light in the direction
dictated by that polarizer. The next polarizer will then diminish the
intensity by a factor of cos2 θ according to Malus’s Law, where θ is the
2π
angle between two adjacent polarizers. This angle is θ = , and
n−1
this process is repeated n − 1 times. Thus, the final intensity takes the
form  2(n−1)
2π
I0 cos
n−1
If we take the limit as n → ∞, we can see that this limit simply
approaches I0 .

(a) • (1 point) use Malus’s Law

• (0.5 point) derive the angle between adjacent filters
• (1 point) correct final answer

(b) • (0.5 point) attempt to take a limit

• (1 point) correct final limit

Page 11
Calculation (42 Points)
Model of the Eye (23 Points)

Figure 3: Anatomy of the Eye

1. (6 points) Label the following features of the anatomy of the eye in the
diagram above. There are 6 features to label, named A-F.
Point A
pupil
Region B
cornea
Region C
lens

Page 12
Point D
macula
Region E
vitreous humor
Object F
optical nerve

Page 13
 A f D
d ℓ

Figure 4: Simple model of an eye

2. (4 points) As shown in Fig. 4, we can model an eye as a single thin,

convex lens with focal length f that focuses incoming light onto the point
labeled Point D in Fig. 3. Assume Point D is diametrically opposite to
Point A where light enters the eye.
(a) (3 points) Point D is located at a fixed distance ℓ. At what distance
d from the lens must an object be to remain in focus?
(a) f ℓ/(ℓ − f )

Solution: Using the thins lens approximation,

1 1 1
= + ,
f d ℓ
so
fℓ
d= .
ℓ−f

• (1 point) correctly applying thin lens approximation

• (2 points) correct final answer

(b) (1 point) In a typical eye, f is 2.0 cm and ℓ is 2.5 cm. Find d for a
typical eye.

Page 14
Solution: We have
fℓ (2.0 cm)(2.5 cm)
d= = = 10 cm.
ℓ−f 2.5 cm − 2.0 cm

• (1 point) correct final answer

(b) 10 cm

Page 15
 relaxed stretched
R R′

Figure 5: Eye while relaxed vs. stretched

3. (3 points) However, human eyes can view objects in focus at a variety of

distances, unlike in the simplified model we described above. The ciliary
body in Figure 3 has muscles that can modify the shape of the lens,
changing its focal length.
We can model this behavior very simply by considering a thin, symmet-
rical convex lens with index of refraction n surrounded by air connected
to muscles on either end, as shown in Figure. 5. When the muscles are
relaxed, the radius of curvature of each side of the lens is R. When the
muscles are flexed, both radii of curvature become R′ > R.
Find the range (give the lower and upper bounds) of focal lengths for this
lens in terms of n, R, and R′ . Assume the index of refraction for air is
nair = 1.

Solution: For thin lens, the Lensmaker’s equation gives

 
1 1 1
= (n − 1) −
f R (−R)
 
1 1 1
= (n − 1) −
f′ R′ (−R′ )
so
R
f=
2(n − 1)
′ R′
f =
2(n − 1)

Page 16
Therefore, the range of focal lengths is
R R′
≤f ≤
2(n − 1) 2(n − 1)

• (1 point) correctly applying the Lensmaker’s Equation

• (2 points) correct final answer

Page 17
4. (10 points) Real eyes are more complex than the model presented above,
because the Region E on the right of the lens in Figure 3 is not air but
a liquid with index of refraction n′ . Continue modeling the eye with a
single thin lens, but now consider the liquid in Region E. Again, the
ciliary muscles stretch the lens’s curvature from r = R to r = R′ .
This formula may be useful: the focal length for a thin-lens of refractive
index n immersed in mediums with index of refraction n1 to the left and
n2 to the right is  
1 1 2n − n1 − n2
= (1)
f r n1
where r is the radius of curvature of both sides of the lens.
Side Note: this is the focal length to the left of this lens, since due to the
asymmetry of the surrounding medium, the lens will have different focal
lengths to the left and right.
(a) (1 point) Using the formula in Eq. (1), find the range of focal lengths
for this more complex model of the lens.

Solution: We apply Eq. (1) with n = n, n1 = n′ , n2 = 1, and r

going between R and R′ to get
n′ R n′ R ′
≤ f ≤
2n − n′ − 1 2n − n′ − 1

(b) (3 points) If the macula is still located a fixed distance ℓ from the
lens, find the range (lower and upper bounds) of distances that can
be viewed in focus.

Solution: Recall the distance d in focus is

 −1
1 1
d= −
f ℓ
Note that the first term decreases with f so the entire expression
increases with f . Then, the minimum d corresponds to the mini-
mum f . Likewise, the maximum d corresponds to the maximum

Page 18
f . Therefore,
−1 −1
2n − n′ − 1 1 2n − n′ − 1 1
 
− ≤d≤ −
n′ R ℓ n′ R′ ℓ

• (1 point) correctly apply the thin lens approximation to find

d in terms of f

• (1 point) correctly reasoning that d increases with f

• (1 point) correct final answer

Page 19
(c) (2 points) Dr. Hopfield has a condition so that the liquid in Region
E has an atypical index of refraction of nc < n′ . Explain how the
condition affects the clarity of Dr. Hopfield’s vision.

Solution: Recall that the range of distances in focus is given by

−1 −1
2n − n′ − 1 1 2n − n′ − 1 1
 
− ≤d≤ −
n′ R ℓ n′ R′ ℓ

As n′ decreases to nc , the first term in the lower/upper bound in-

creases, so the lower/upper bounds for d both decrease. Therefore,
Dr. Hopfield can not clearly see objects that are far away.

• (2 points) correct reasoning and conclusion

(d) (1 point) What name best describes Dr. Hopfield’s condition? Give
both the technical name and the common name.

Solution: This is nearsightedness or myopia.

• (0.5 point) nearsightedness

• (0.5 point) myopia

Page 20
(e) (2 points) One way to treat Dr. Hopfield’s condition is by wearing
contact lenses, which effectively place a lens of focal length λ very
close to eye’s natural lens. Find the value of λ needed to correct
Dr. Hopfield’s vision so that the range of distances in focus for Dr.
Hopfield matches what you found in part X.

Solution: For two very close lenses, the focal lengths add har-
monically, so, if Dr. Hopfield’s eye focal length is called fc , then
λ obeys
1 1 1
+ =
fc λ f
where
nc r
fc =
2n − nc − 1
n′ r
f= .
2n − n′ − 1
Solving gives
n′ nc r
λ= .
(nc − n′ )(2n − 1)

• (1 point) Recognizing that focal lengths add harmonically

• (1 point) Correct expression for λ

(e)
(f) (1 point) Does Dr. Hopfield require a concave or convex contact lens?

Solution: Concave. Note that nc < n′ , so λ < 0, which means

the contact lens is concave by standard sign convention.

Page 21
Polarization (19 Points)
1. (9 points) Consider an unpolarized electromagnetic wave propagating to-
wards the surface of a different medium. Since this wave is unpolarized,
it consists of a linear combination of two kinds of electromagnetic waves:
those oscillating perpendicular to the plane of the page and parallel to
the plane of the page. Suppose the two media have indices of refraction
n1 and n2 respectively.
(a) (1 point) Notice that both oscillations are restricted to a particular
plane. This is called linear polarization. Fill in the blank.
(b) (1 point) There is a term for when these oscillations are polarized in
the direction parallel to the plane of the page versus perpendicular.
What are the names for these two kinds of polarization?

Solution:
Polarization in the plane of the page is called p-polarization, while
polarization perpendicular to it is called s-polarization.

(c) (2 points) Consider now this wave striking the interface between the
two media at an angle of incidence θi from the vertical. Some of
the light will be transmitted through to the other medium. Some
will be reflected. Compute both the angle from the vertical of the
transmitted wave θt and the reflected wave θr .

Solution:
θr = θi according to the Law of Reflection.
 
n1
θt = arcsin sin θi by Snell’s Law.
n2

Page 22
(d) (1 point) At a critical angle of incidence θc , these two waves will be
perpendicular. What is this critical angle called?
(d) Brewster’s Angle
(e) (2 points) At this critical angle, one of the resultant waves will be
fully polarized. Which kind of polarization from part (b) was elimi-
nated, and which of the waves (transmitted or reflected) is polarized?

Solution: The p-polarized waves are eliminated. Although this

can be seen easily from the equations governing the electric field
at the interfaces between mediums, it can be physically explained
by the fact that the electric field generating the wave is moving
perpendicular to the reflected wave. (Explanation not required for
credit.) The reflected wave is the one that is fully polarized, while
the transmitted wave is not.

(f) (2 points) Compute θc .

Solution: We are given that the reflected and transmitted waves

are perpendicular at the critical angle (Brewster’s angle). Doing
some angle-chasing, this implies that the vertical angles θt and θr
are also complementary. Thus we have that
 
n1
θi + arcsin sin θi = 90◦
n2

By rearranging and taking the sine of both sides we then find

 
n1
sin arcsin sin θi = sin(90◦ − θi )
n2
n1
sin θi = cos θi
n2
 
n2
and therefore θi = arctan .
n1

Page 23
2. (10 points) Consider two electromagnetic waves A, B propagating along
the z-axis. Fig. 6 shows the x, y components of A’s and B’s electric fields
at some position as a function of time.

5.0
2.5
Ex (V/m)

0.0
A
−2.5
B
−5.0
0 2 4 6
t (s)

5.0
2.5
Ey (V/m)

0.0
A
−2.5
B
−5.0
0 2 4 6
t (s)

Figure 6: x, y components of the electric fields for waves A, B.

(a) (1 point) Is Wave A linearly polarized? What about Wave B? Jus-

tify your answers.

Solution: Both are linearly polarized. Fig. 6 shows that A only

has a component in the x-direction while B only has a component
in the y-direction, so the electric fields are confined to the xz- and
yz-plane for A and B, respectively.

Page 24
• (0.5 points) correct answer/justification for A

• (0.5 points) correct answer/justification for B

Page 25
(b) (3 points) Determine the equations of electric field vectors EA (t) and
EB (t) as a function of time for waves A and B, respectively.

Solution: The x-component of EA (t) is sinusoidal with amplitude

5 V/m and angular frequency 2 s−1 . Therefore,

EA (t) = (5 V/m) sin (π sec−1 )t î

 

Likewise, the y-component of EB (t) is identical to the x-component

of EA (t), but phase-shifted by π/2. Therefore,

EB (t) = (5 V/m) cos (π sec−1 )t ĵ

 

• (0.5 point) correct mathematical form (A sin(ωt)) for A

• (0.5 point) correct mathematical form (A cos(ωt)) for B

• (1 point) correct final answer for A

• (1 point) correct final answer for B

(c) (4 points) Consider the wave C formed by adding waves A and B in

superposition. Find the magnitude of C’s electric field vector |EC (t)|
as a function of time.

Solution: The electric field of C is given by

EC (t) = EA (t) + EB (t)

= (5 V/m) sin (2 s−1 )t î + (5 V/m) cos (2 s−1 )t ĵ,
   

which has constant magnitude

|EC (t)| = 5 V/m

• (1 point) correct form for EC (t)

• (3 points) correct final answer

Page 26
(d) (1 point) What shape does C’s electric field vector EC (t) trace out
over time?

Solution: EC (t) traces out a circle.

(e) (1 point) Wave C is commonly described as circularly polarized.

Fill in the blank.

Page 27