The energy flux of sunlight reaching the surface of the earth is 1.388 × 103 W/m2. How many photons (nearly) per square metre are incident on the Earth per second? Assume that the photons in the sunlight have an average wavelength of 550 nm.
Energy flux of sunlight reaching the surface of earth, Φ = 1.388 × 103 W/m2
Hence, power of sunlight per square metre, P = 1.388 × 103 W
Speed of light, c = 3 × 108 m/s
Planck’s constant, h = 6.626 × 10−34 Js
Average wavelength of photons present in sunlight, λ = 550 nm = 550 x 10-9 m
Number of photons per square metre incident on earth per second = n Hence, the equation for power can be written as: P= nE
∴ n = P/E = Pλ / hc = 1.388 x 103 x 550 x 10-9 / 6.626 x 10-34 x 3 x 108 = 3.84 x 1021 photons/m2/s
Therefore, every second, 3.84 x 1021 photons are incident per square metre on earth.
Popular Questions of Class Physics
- Q:-
An infinite line charge produces a field of 9 × 104 N/C at a distance of 2 cm. Calculate the linear charge density.
- Q:-
What is the force between two small charged spheres having charges of 2 x 10-7 C and 3 x 10-7 C placed 30 cm apart in air?
- Q:-
A polythene piece rubbed with wool is found to have a negative charge of 3 × 10−7 C.
(a) Estimate the number of electrons transferred (from which to which?)
(b) Is there a transfer of mass from wool to polythene?
- Q:-
A 600 pF capacitor is charged by a 200 V supply. It is then disconnected from the supply and is connected to another uncharged 600 pF capacitor. How much electrostatic energy is lost in the process?
- Q:-
A parallel plate capacitor with air between the plates has a capacitance of 8 pF (1pF = 10-12 F). What will be the capacitance if the distance between the plates is reduced by half, and the space between them is filled with a substance of dielectric constant 6?
- Q:- A circular coil of wire consisting of 100 turns, each of radius 8.0 cm carries a current of 0.40 A. What is the magnitude of the magnetic field B at the centre of the coil?
- Q:-
A regular hexagon of side 10 cm has a charge 5 µC at each of its vertices. Calculate the potential at the centre of the hexagon.
- Q:-
A point charge +10 μC is a distance 5 cm directly above the centre of a square of side 10 cm, as shown in Fig. 1.34. What is the magnitude of the electric flux through the square? (Hint: Think of the square as one face of a cube with edge 10 cm.)
- Q:-
A point charge of 2.0 μC is at the centre of a cubic Gaussian surface 9.0 cm on edge. What is the net electric flux through the surface?
- Q:-
A conducting sphere of radius 10 cm has an unknown charge. If the electric field 20 cm from the centre of the sphere is 1.5 × 103 N/C and points radially inward, what is the net charge on the sphere?
Recently Viewed Questions of Class Physics
- Q:-
(a) Two insulated charged copper spheres A and B have their centers separated by a distance of 50 cm. What is the mutual force of electrostatic repulsion if the charge on each is 6.5 × 10−7 C? The radii of A and B are negligible compared to the distance of separation.
(b) What is the force of repulsion if each sphere is charged double the above amount, and the distance between them is halved?
- Q:-
A regular hexagon of side 10 cm has a charge 5 µC at each of its vertices. Calculate the potential at the centre of the hexagon.
- Q:-
A 12 pF capacitor is connected to a 50V battery. How much electrostatic energy is stored in the capacitor?
- Q:-
A Rowland ring of mean radius 15 cm has 3500 turns of wire wound on a ferromagnetic core of relative permeability 800. What is the magnetic field B in the core for a magnetising current of 1.2 A?
- Q:-
The radius of the innermost electron orbit of a hydrogen atom is 5.3 ×10 −11 m. What are the radii of the n = 2 and n =3 orbits?
- Q:-
An infinite line charge produces a field of 9 × 104 N/C at a distance of 2 cm. Calculate the linear charge density.
- Q:-
In a chamber, a uniform magnetic field of 6.5 G (1 G = 10-4 T) is maintained. An electron is shot into the field with a speed of 4.8 x 106 m s-1 normal to the field. Explain why the path of the electron is a circle. Determine the radius of the circular orbit. (e = 1.6 x 10-19 C, me= 9.1 x 10-31 kg)
- Q:-
A 100 W sodium lamp radiates energy uniformly in all directions. The lamp is located at the centre of a large sphere that absorbs all the sodium light which is incident on it. The wavelength of the sodium light is 589 nm.
(a) What is the energy per photon associated with the sodium light?
(b) At what rate are the photons delivered to the sphere?
- Q:-
Figure shows tracks of three charged particles in a uniform electrostatic field. Give the signs of the three charges. Which particle has the highest charge to mass ratio?
- Q:-
An electric dipole with dipole moment 4 × 10−9 C m is aligned at 30° with the direction of a uniform electric field of magnitude 5 × 104N C−1. Calculate the magnitude of the torque acting on the dipole.
- NCERT Chapter