An oil tanker has collided with a smaller vessel, resulting in an oil spill in a
ID: 1382591 • Letter: A
Question
An oil tanker has collided with a smaller vessel, resulting in an oil spill in a large, calm-water bay of the ocean. You are investigating the environmental effects of the accident and need to know the area of the spill. The tanker captain informs you that 31,750 liters of oil have escaped and that the oil has an index of refraction of n = 1.1. From the deck of your ship, you note that in the sunlight the oil slick appears to be yellow. A spectroscope confirms that the dominant wavelength from the surface of the spill is 577 nm. Assuming a uniform thickness, what is the total area of the oil slick? km2
Explanation / Answer
The condition for bright fringe is
2d = m L/n
d = 577 * 10 ^-9 m /(2*1.1)
=2.62* 10^-7 m
The relation of volume and area is
V = A d
A = V/d
31,750 L = 31.7 m^3
A = 31.7 m^3/2.62* 10^-7 m
=12 * 10 ^4 km^2