Question

Compare the light gathering power of a 1 meter diameter telescope to that of the human eye ,which has a diameter of roughly 2.5 centimeters. How many times more light can the telescope gather than the human eye?

Answer 1

Answer:

The telescope can gather light 1600 times more than the human eyes can!

Explanation:

The light gathering ability of an optical element is directly proportional to its area of opening.

So, in comparing the light gathering abilities for two objects, it is just the ratio of their area of opening.

Let the diameter of the telescope be D = 1 m

And the diameter of the human eyes be d = 2.5 cm = 0.025 m

Light gathering ability of the telescope compared to the eyes = D² ÷ d²

= (D²/d²) = (1²/0.025²) = 1600 times.

The telescope can gather light 1600 times more than the human eyes can!

Hope this Helps!!!