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Question #43201
The Question
A large inclined plane makes an angle with the horizontal. A transparent flat glass slab of thickness and refractive index is placed flush on the inclined plane. A small particle is projected from the top surface of the slab with an initial speed at an angle relative to the inclined plane, in the upward direction along the vertical plane containing the line of greatest slope. The particle continuously emits a narrow laser beam along the direction of its instantaneous velocity vector. Find the magnitude of the rate of change of the lateral shift of the laser beam through the glass slab at the exact instant when the particle's velocity becomes purely horizontal. (Take . Assume the laser beam always enters the top surface of the slab and exits from the bottom surface).
Options
- A.
- B.
- C.
- D.
Check Your Answer
Correct Answer
Step-by-Step Solution
Explanation
How the Examiner Thinks
Intuition_Breaker
Train your brain to resist "obvious" answers that are designed to deceive your intuition.
Concepts Behind This Question
Lateral Shift in Slab|Projectile on Inclined Plane|Small Angle Approximation
Why This Question Is Tricky
Common Mistakes
This question tests the student's ability to decouple the kinematics of a projectile from the geometric optics of the emitted light.
A common trap is attempting to find the time-dependent coordinate of the laser spot on the slab and differentiating it, which conflates the lateral shift with the position of the ray.
Furthermore, students often miscalculate the rate of change of the incidence angle by using the incline's reference frame incorrectly or failing to recognize that the derivative of the incidence angle is simply the angular velocity of the velocity vector.
The problem elegantly combines projectile motion with optics, requiring the realization that lateral shift is translationally invariant and depends purely on the instantaneous velocity direction.
Quick Facts About This Question
Question Information
| Subject | Physics |
| Chapter | Ray Optics and Optical Instruments - Class 12 |
| Concept | Lateral Shift in Slab |
| Difficulty | 8 |
| Cognitive Load | 7 |
| Target Solve Time | 160 sec |
| Access | Free |