In broad daylight, the size of your pupil is typically 3 mm. In dark situations, it expands to about 7 mm. How much more light can it gather?
Question
In broad daylight, the size of your pupil is typically 3 mm. In dark situations, it expands to about 7 mm. How much more light can it gather?
Solution
The amount of light the eye can gather is proportional to the area of the pupil. The area of a circle (which the pupil is) is given by the formula πr², where r is the radius of the circle.
- First, we need to find the area of the pupil in both situations.
In broad daylight, the diameter of the pupil is 3 mm, so the radius is 1.5 mm. The area is then π*(1.5 mm)² = 7.07 mm².
In dark situations, the diameter of the pupil is 7 mm, so the radius is 3.5 mm. The area is then π*(3.5 mm)² = 38.48 mm².
- Now, we can find out how much more light the eye can gather in dark situations compared to broad daylight.
The ratio of the two areas is 38.48 mm² / 7.07 mm² = 5.44.
So, the eye can gather about 5.44 times more light in dark situations than in broad daylight.
Similar Questions
After stepping into a room with unusual lighting, Edmond's pupil has a diameter of 8 millimeters. What is the pupil's radius?
The amount of light entering the eye is controlled by the size of the
The average threshold of dark-adapted (scotopic) vision is 4 × 10-11 W/m 2 at a central wavelength of 500 nm. If lightwith this intensity and wavelength enters the eye and the pupil is open to its maximum diameter of 8.50 mm, howmany photons per second enter the eye?
The structure of the eye that regulates the diameter of the pupil is the
In the human eye, light is focused on the back of the retina by the:Group of answer choicesA. iris.B. pupil.C. lens.D. cornea.
Upgrade your grade with Knowee
Get personalized homework help. Review tough concepts in more detail, or go deeper into your topic by exploring other relevant questions.