Question

You are investigating the properties of a laser discovered in the bowels of an equipment storeroom, and you want to determine the power of the laser. (All labeling has been obliterated with age.) You hang a tiny 5.00 mg dark-colored ball from a 4.00 cm-long (massless) wire and then get the heck out of the way before turning on the laser. When the laser strikes, the ball is displaced until the wire makes a 0.700˚ angle with respect to the vertical. What is the power of this laser? Hint: a free-body diagram might be a good starting point. Also, this is a high-falutin’ pulsed laser, so compare your result to those sort of lasers when reflecting on your answer.

Answer 1