Concepts Of Physics MCQ Edition [Volume 1]PhysicsLight Waves
The inverse square law of intensity (where intensity 1 r^2 ) holds true for a
Options
- Acylindrical source
- Bpoint source
- Cplane source
- Dline source
Correct answer
B. point source
Step-by-step solution
For a point source, the power P is distributed uniformly over a spherical surface of radius r . The surface area of the sphere is A = 4 r^2 . Intensity I = P A = P 4 r^2 . Thus, I 1 r^2 , which is the inverse square law. For a line or cylindrical source, the power is distributed over a cylindrical surface, so I 1 r . For a plane source, the intensity is independent of distance.