Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-of-atmospheres-and-oceans-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2021/4/d/solution
Past exam of the physics of atmospheres and oceans course of the University of Oxford 2021 4 d Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
Interpret the stated detector width as one square spatial sample. At the point directly below the spacecraft, the small-angle approximation gives pixel angular width . ThusThere is a definition error in the source: the usual focal ratio, or f-number, divides focal length by the entrance-aperture diameter , whereas the printed parenthesis divides by detector width . Reporting both avoids silently changing the question:The actual optical design is therefore approximately f/1.36, a fast optical telescope, not an optically slow f/34000 instrument. Such a focal ratio is demanding but possible in principle: optical aberrations, obscuration, field coverage, stray light and alignment need careful design. The single-sample angular width is . Spatial sampling alone does not guarantee true resolving power; diffraction, pointing and signal-to-noise ratio also matter. At large viewing angles, the same angular pixel covers a larger, distorted surface footprint. If the detector is literally one element, scanning is additionally needed to form a map.
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