An oil tanker has collided with a smaller vessel, resulting in an oil spill in a
ID: 1503645 • 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 45,000 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 red. A spectroscope confirms that the dominant wavelength from the surface of the spill is 596 nm. Assuming a uniform thickness, what is the total area of the oil slick?
Explanation / Answer
Here ,
let the thickness of the film is t
n = 1.1
wavelength = 596 nm
2 * n * t = 0.5 * wavelength
2 * 1.1 * t = 0.5 * 596
t = 135.5 nm
let the area of the spill is A
A * t = 45000 * 1 *10^-3 m^3
A * 135.5 * 10^-9 = 45000 * 1 *10^-3
A = 3.32 *10^8 m^2
the area of the spill is 3.32 *10^8 m^2