Askiitians Tutor Team
Last Activity: 4 Months ago
When we talk about holography, it's fascinating how light and interference patterns can create three-dimensional images. In your question, you're asking what happens when only half of a photographic plate in a hologram is illuminated. Let's break this down step by step to understand the implications.
The Nature of Holography
A hologram is created by recording the interference pattern of light waves. This pattern encodes the three-dimensional information of the object being recorded. When you illuminate the hologram with coherent light, such as that from a laser, it reconstructs the light waves that originally came from the object, allowing us to see a 3D image.
What Happens When Half the Plate is Illuminated?
Now, if you only illuminate half of the photographic plate, the result is quite interesting. The hologram does not simply show half of the image. Instead, the entire three-dimensional image can still be seen, but with some differences in quality.
Analyzing the Options
- (A) Only half of the picture is seen. This is incorrect because the entire image is still present, just less distinct.
- (B) The picture is still seen, but is less distinct than before. This is the correct answer. The image will appear less clear because only part of the interference pattern is being utilized.
- (C) The picture is still seen, but is smaller than before. This is not accurate; the size of the image does not change based on the illumination of the plate.
- (D) The color of the picture is changed. The color remains the same; the change in visibility does not affect the color.
- (E) The picture is not visible at all. This is also incorrect, as the image can still be seen.
Conclusion on the Resulting Picture
Thus, the most accurate statement is (B): the picture is still seen, but is less distinct than before. This phenomenon occurs because the full interference pattern, which contributes to the clarity and detail of the image, is not fully illuminated. The remaining part of the hologram still contains enough information to reconstruct the image, albeit with reduced quality.
Real-World Analogy
Think of it like a puzzle. If you have a complete puzzle, you can see the full picture clearly. If you only have half of the pieces visible, you can still make out what the image is, but it won't be as clear or detailed. Similarly, illuminating only half of the holographic plate allows you to perceive the image, but with less clarity.
This concept highlights the remarkable nature of holography and how light interacts with materials to create complex visual representations. Understanding these principles can deepen your appreciation for both physics and the technology behind holography.