Homework 2: Fundamentals of Image Processing

Problem 1:
If you use a sheet of white paper to shield your eyes when looking directly at the sun, the
side of the sheet facing you appears black. Which of the visual processes discussed in
Section2.1 is responsible for this?
Answer:
Brightness adaptation.
Problem 2:
Using the background information provided in Section 2.1, and thinking purely in
geometrical terms, estimate the diameter of the smallest printed dot that the eye can discern
if the page on which the dot is printed is 0.2m away from the eyes. Assume for simplicity
that the visual system ceases to detect the dot when the image of the dot on the fovea
becomes smaller then the diameter of one receptor (cone) in that area of the retina. Assume
further that the fovea can be modeled as square array of dimension 1.5mm on the side, and
that the cones and spaces between the cones are distributed uniformly throughout this array.
Answer:
The diameter, x, of the retinal image corresponding to the dot is obtained from
similar triangles, as shown in Fig. P2.1. That is:
(d /2) / 0.2 = (x/2) / 0.17
 x = 0.085d
From the discussion in Section 2.1.1, and taking some liberties of interpretation, we can
think of the fovea as a square sensor array having on the order of 337,000 elements, which
translates into an array of size 580 × 580 elements.
Assuming equal spacing between elements, this gives 580 elements and 579 spaces on a
line 1.5 mm long. The size of each element and each space is then:
s = [(1.5mm)/1,159] = 1.3 × 10^−6 m.
If the size (on the fovea) of the imaged dot is less than the size of a single resolution
element, we assume that the dot will be invisible to the eye. In other words, the eye will
not detect a dot if its diameter, d, is such that:
0.085(d) < 1.3 × 10^−6 m, or d < 15.3 × 10^−6 m.
Problem 3:
Although it is not shown in Fig. 2.10, alternating current is part of the electromagnetic
spectrum. Commercial alternating current in the United States has a frequency of 60Hz.
What is the wavelength in kilometers of this component of the spectrum?
Answer:
λ = c /v = 2.998×10^8 (m/s)/60(1/s)
= 4.997×10^6 m=4997 km.
 The wavelength in kilometers of this component of the spectrum is 4997 km
Problem 4:
You are hired to design the front end of an imaging system for studying the shapes of cells,
bacteria, viruses, and proteins. The front end consists in this case of the illumination
source(s) and corresponding imaging camera(s). The diameters of circles required to fully
enclose individual specimens in each of these categories are 50, 1, 0.1, and 0.01 µm,
respectively. In order to perform automated analysis, the smallest detail discernible on a
specimen must be 0.001 µm.
1. Can you solve the imaging aspects of this problem with a single sensor and camera? If
your answer is yes, specify the illumination wavelength band and the type of camera
needed. By “type”, we mean the band of the electromagnetic spectrum to which the camera
is most sensitive (e.g. infrared).
2. If your answer in (1) is no, what type of illumination sources and corresponding imaging
sensors would you recommend? Specify the light sources and cameras as requested in part
(1). Use the minimum number of illumination sources and cameras needed to solve the
problem. (Hint: From the discussion in Section 2.2, the illumination required to “see” an
object must have a wavelength the same size or smaller than the object.)
Answer:
1. The source of the illumination required to see an object must have wavelength the
same size or smaller than the object. Because interest lies only on the boundary
shape and not on other spectral characteristics of the specimens, a single
illumination source in the far ultraviolet (wavelength of .001 microns or less) will
be able to detect all objects. A far-ultraviolet camera sensor would be needed to
image the specimens.
2. No answer is required because the answer to (a) is affirmative.
Problem 5:
You are preparing a report and have to insert in it an image of size 2048 × 2048 pixels.
1. Assuming no limitation on the printer, what would the resolution in line pairs per mm
have to be for the image to fit in a space of size 5 × 5 cm?
2. What would the resolution have to be in dpi for the image to fit in 2 × 2 inches?
Answer:
Inserting an image of size 2048 x 2048 px.
1. Fit the image into a space of 5 x 5 cm or 50 x 50 mm
 2048 lines has to fit in 50mm
 2048 / 50 ≈ 41 lines/mm ≈ 20 lines pairs / mm (both directions)
2. The resolution in dpi for the image to fit in 2 x 2 inches
2048(px) / 2(inches) = 1024 px/inch = 1024 dpi (both directions).