Question

What limit remains even when an optical instrument is built perfectly?

Options

• An inability to produce alternate dark and bright regions

• A requirement that everyday objects be comparable to the wavelength of light

• An inability of light to bend around the corners of objects

• An ultimate limit on how finely it can distinguish two closely spaced objects

Answer 1

Perfect construction cannot remove the limit set by diffraction. Diffraction determines how finely an instrument can distinguish two closely spaced objects.