Question

Dinoflagellates are single-cell organisms that float in the world’s oceans. Many types are bioluminescent. When disturbed, a typical bioluminescent dinoflagellate emits 10⁸ photons in a 0.10-s-long flash of wavelength 460 nm. What is the power of the flash?

Short answer

Power of the flash is$4.32\times {10}^{-10}W$.

Step-by-step solution

Step 1. Given information is :Number of photons emitted = 108Time = 0.1 sWavelength of light = 460 nm

We need to find out the power of the flash.

Step 2. Using definition of Power.

$$\begin{gathered} P=\frac{E_{net}}{t} \\ {E}_{net}=N{E}_{photon} \\ {E}_{photon}=\frac{hc}{\lambda } \\ P=\frac{Nhc}{\lambda t} \\ P=\frac{\left({10}^8\right)\left(6.63\times {10}^{-34}\right)\left(3\times {10}^{8}m/s\right)}{\left(460\times {10}^{-9}m\right)\left(0.1s\right)} \\ P=4.32\times {10}^{-10}W \end{gathered}$$