A group of students was conducting experiments on how far a green light can travel in the water before being completely scattered by water molecules. The students presumed that the mean free path of photon-water molecule collisions is equal to the distance that light can travel through water before it scatters completely. Using a very thin-walled transparent container and at 15.0°C, the distance the green light could travel through the water was 20.3 meters. If the water is heated, increasing its temperature to 90.0°C while keeping its pressure constant, how far can green light travel before being completely scattered? Hint: The mean free path of the photons is inversely proportional to the product of the number density and the square of the radius of the water molecules.
A group of students was conducting experiments on how far a green light can travel in the water before being completely scattered by water molecules. The students presumed that the mean free path of photon-water molecule collisions is equal to the distance that light can travel through water before it scatters completely. Using a very thin-walled transparent container and at 15.0°C, the distance the green light could travel through the water was 20.3 meters. If the water is heated, increasing its temperature to 90.0°C while keeping its pressure constant, how far can green light travel before being completely scattered? Hint: The mean free path of the photons is inversely proportional to the product of the number density and the square of the radius of the water molecules.