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Working out if street lights are resolvable.

Hi, I'm needing help with a question.

Two street lights, emitting light with a wavelength of 500nm, are 10m apart. Are these lights resolvable when viewed from a direction perpendicular to that of the street, from a distance of 10km? Justify your answer with a calculation. (assume the diameter of the pupil of the eye = 2mm)

I've worked out the Theta min = 3.05x10^-4 rads is the limit of resolution, what do I do now?
Reply 1
Original post by akimbo
Hi, I'm needing help with a question.

Two street lights, emitting light with a wavelength of 500nm, are 10m apart. Are these lights resolvable when viewed from a direction perpendicular to that of the street, from a distance of 10km? Justify your answer with a calculation. (assume the diameter of the pupil of the eye = 2mm)

I've worked out the Theta min = 3.05x10^-4 rads is the limit of resolution, what do I do now?


would comparing the angle of the diffraction limit to the angular separation of points 10m apart viewed from 10km be too obvious?
Reply 2
Original post by Joinedup
would comparing the angle of the diffraction limit to the angular separation of points 10m apart viewed from 10km be too obvious?


I done this:

tan(Theta/2) = ((10/2)/10000) = 5x10^-4
theta/2 = tan^-1(5x10^-4) = 4.99x10^-4
theta = 10x10^-4 radians

but in the answers they somehow got 8.0x10^-4? Thus why I asked to see if there was an alternative way to find this.
Reply 3
Original post by akimbo
I done this:

tan(Theta/2) = ((10/2)/10000) = 5x10^-4
theta/2 = tan^-1(5x10^-4) = 4.99x10^-4
theta = 10x10^-4 radians

but in the answers they somehow got 8.0x10^-4? Thus why I asked to see if there was an alternative way to find this.


I can't see how they got that.
Me neither. Anyway, the conclusion is the same...

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