The pupil of a cat's eye narrows to a slit width of 0.5 mm in daylight. What is the angular resolution of the cat's eye in daylight (λ = 500 nm)?
A)0.01 rads
B)10−5 rads
C)10−3 rads
D)10−4 rads
E)0.1 rads

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The angular resolution θ can be calculated using the formula θ = 1.22 * λ / D, where λ is the wavelength of light (500 nm = 500 x 10^-9 m) and D is the diameter of the pupil (0.5 mm = 0.5 x 10^-3 m). Substituting these values gives θ ≈ 1.22 * (500 x 10^-9) / (0.5 x 10^-3) ≈ 1.22 * 10^-3 radians.

The Pupil of a Cat's Eye Narrows to a Slit