Double-Slit Experiment with Blue-Green Light
How far apart are the bright fringes as seen on the screen?
A double-slit experiment is performed with blue-green light of wavelength 512 nm. The slits are 1.2 mm apart and the screen is 5.4 m from the slits. What is the distance between the bright fringes on the screen?
Answer:
The distance between the bright fringes in a double-slit experiment with blue-green light of wavelength 512 nm can be calculated using the equation d*sinθ = mλ. The distance is approximately 2.583 meters.
Explanation:
In a double-slit experiment, the distance between the bright fringes on the screen can be calculated using the equation d*sinθ = mλ, where d is the distance between the slits, θ is the angle of the fringe from the horizontal line passing through the center of the slits, m is the fringe order, and λ is the wavelength of light. In this case, we are given the wavelength of the blue-green light as 512 nm and the distance between the slits as 1.2 mm.
Let's calculate the distance between the bright fringes:
1.2 mm * sinθ = 1 * 512 nm
sinθ = (1 * 512 nm) / (1.2 mm)
sinθ ≈ 0.4267
θ ≈ arcsin(0.4267)
θ ≈ 25.85°
The distance between the bright fringes on the screen can be calculated using the formula:
d' = D * tanθ
Given that D = 5.4 m and θ ≈ 25.85°, we can calculate:
d' = 5.4 m * tan(25.85°)
d' ≈ 2.583 m
Therefore, the distance between the bright fringes on the screen is approximately 2.583 meters.