Consider two ways that light might hypothetically get from its starting point S to its final point F by way of a mirror: by reflecting from point A or by reflecting from point B. (L = 24 cm) Since light travels at a fixed speed in air, the path of least time will also be the path of least distance. Show by calculation that the path SBF is shorter than the path SAF.
_____cm (path SBF)
_____cm (path SAF)
2007-10-28 12:51:35 · 1 answers · asked by w_rayas07 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
This question must be accompanied by a figure that you have not made available to us. Without the figure, we don't know what distance is represented by L or what the other coordinates are. In general, though, you're probably going to have to use the Pythagorean theorem. If you know the horizontal and vertical distances between each pair of points, you use the Pythagorean theorem to calculate the straight-line distances between them.
2007-10-31 09:14:26 · answer #1 · answered by DavidK93 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋