How Far Can Legolas See?
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There's a famous scene in the Lord of the Rings where the elf Legolas claims to be ableto count the exact number of horsemen 5 leagues away, and on top of that can tell that theirleader is very tall. But even with the most perfect eyes possible, would anyone be ableto see that far?When we see, we're looking at light that's traveled outwards from a light source, bouncedoff an object, passed through the lens in the eye, and been focused into an image onthe retina. Except... light isn't a particle traveling in perfectly straight lines - itis a wave. And therein lies the problem, both for us, and for Legolas.Because any wave - whether water, sound or light - that travels through a small openingwill become spread out by a process known a...
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There's a famous scene in the Lord of the Rings where the elf Legolas claims to be ableto count the exact number of horsemen 5 leagues away, and on top of that can tell that theirleader is very tall. But even with the most perfect eyes possible, would anyone be ableto see that far?When we see, we're looking at light that's traveled outwards from a light source, bouncedoff an object, passed through the lens in the eye, and been focused into an image onthe retina. Except... light isn't a particle traveling in perfectly straight lines - itis a wave. And therein lies the problem, both for us, and for Legolas.Because any wave - whether water, sound or light - that travels through a small openingwill become spread out by a process known a...
