Morpho Butterfly Coloration – Rankers Physics

Miscellaneous: Practice Problem & Solution

Assertion (A): At the first glance the top surface of a Morpho's butterfly's wing appears a beautiful blue-green. If the wing moves, the colour changes. Reason (R): Different pigments in the wing reflect light at different angles. [Hint: It is due to interference of light rays reflected from different layers of wing.]
Both (A) & (R) are true and the (R) is the correct explanation of the (A)
Both (A) & (R) are true but the (R) is not the correct explanation of the (A)
(A) is true but (R) is false
Both (A) and (R) are false

Solution Explained:

To solve this problem, we apply the core principles of Miscellaneous. Understanding the underlying formula is key to arriving at the correct answer below:

Assertion (A) is true. Morpho butterflies exhibit iridescence due to structural coloration. Reason (R) is false. The color is due to light interference by nanostructures on the wings, not pigments.

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