Question

While scuba diving, you have injured yourself and must signal the boat on the surface for help. As you always do when diving, you have five laser pointers with you, each emitting light of a different color: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue. When you shine the yellow light up toward the boat, the beam makes such a small angle with the surface of the water that all the light is reflected back into the water.
Required:
a. If you are not able to move closer to the boat, which color or colors of light might you try?
b. Are these other lights likely to be successful in penetrating the surface of the water?

Answer 1

Answer:

a. Red and Orange

b. Yes, they are

Explanation:

a. This is because, since the yellow light is reflected back into the water, it undergoes total internal reflection and its wavelength in water is not long enough to allow it penetrate the water surface. Since the wavelength decreases from left to right, both the green and blue light have shorter wavelength than the yellow light, so they get reflected back. The red and orange lights are more likely to penetrate since they have longer wavelengths than the yellow light.

b. This is because the red and orange light have longer wavelengths and are thus more likely to penetrate the water surface and not get reflected back.