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WaveInterferencePracticeProblems Answers

Young's double slit experiment is used to demonstrate the wave-like properties of light. The experiment shows that light passing through two slits will produce a pattern of bright and dark fringes on a screen due to interference. The document provides examples of using the double slit formula, which relates the wavelength, slit spacing, and fringe spacing, to solve problems involving calculating wavelength or fringe spacing given the other variables.

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Clement Charles
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162 views2 pages

WaveInterferencePracticeProblems Answers

Young's double slit experiment is used to demonstrate the wave-like properties of light. The experiment shows that light passing through two slits will produce a pattern of bright and dark fringes on a screen due to interference. The document provides examples of using the double slit formula, which relates the wavelength, slit spacing, and fringe spacing, to solve problems involving calculating wavelength or fringe spacing given the other variables.

Uploaded by

Clement Charles
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Double Slit Diffraction Problems Young’s Double Slit Formula: m  d sin( )

Answers

h
θ
d
l

1) In a double slit interference experiment, the distance between the slits is 0.0005m and
the screen is 2 meters from the slits. Yellow light from a sodium lamp is used and it has a
wavelength of 5.89 x 10-7 m. Show that the distance between the first and second fringes
on the screen is 0.00233 m. (Fringe is another word for bright spot).
d= 5.0 x10 4 m  =5.89 x 10-7 m
d sin   m  sin   m / d    sin 1  m / d 
m=1, 1 = 0.675º m=2.  2 = 0.135 º
tan   h / l y1  h tan   y1 / l  y1  l tan   2  tan  0.675
y1 (Height of lower fringe) = 0.0236m y 2 (Height of upper fringe) = 0.0472m
y  .0236m
y Difference between two fringe locations. (For small angles – approximately evenly
spaced – You could take distance to third fringe and divide by 3).

2) With two slits spaced 0.2mm apart, and a screen at a distance of l=1m, the third bright
fringe is found to be displaced h=7.5mm from the central fringe. Show that the
wavelength,  , of the light used is 5  10 7 m .

Step 1, Given l, h, find the angle  by using trigonometry.


tan   h / l    tan 1  h / l   0.430

Step 2. Now that  is known, you can use the formula with m=3 to find the wavelength.
d sin   m    d sin  / m  2.0 x104  sin  0.430 / 3  5.00 x107

3. Two radio towers are broadcasting on the same frequency. The signal is strong at A,
and B is the first signal minimum. If d = 6.8 km, L = 11.2 km, and y = 1.73 km, what is
the wavelength of the radio waves to the nearest meter?

First find the angle:


tan   y / L    tan 1  y / L   tan 1 1.73 / 11.2   8.78

Find the wavelength


d sin   m    d sin  / m  6.8  sin  8.78 / 1  1.04km
Double Slit Diffraction Problems Young’s Double Slit Formula: m  d sin( )
Answers
4a. Water waves of wavelength of 5.44 meters are incident upon a breakwater with two
narrow openings separated by a distance 247 meters. To the nearest thousandth of a
degree what is angle corresponding to the first wave fringe maximum?
d  247m
  5.44m
m  d sin   sin   m / d    sin 1  m / d 
  sin 1 1 5.44 / 247  1.262

5. In a double-slit experiment it is found that blue light of wavelength 467 nm gives a


second-order maximum at a certain location on the screen. What wavelength of visible
light would have a minimum at the same location?

Two different experiments with the same slit spacing, d, and same angle, θ.
m11   m2  12  2
2  467nm   m2  12  2
If m2  0,  2  1868nm This is not visible light.
If m2  1,  2  622nm. This is visible light
If m2  2,  2  374nm This is visible light.
If m2  3,  2  267nm. This is not visible light

6. Find the distance between adjacent dark spots from a double slit diffraction pattern if
the wavelength of light is 500 nm, the distance between the slits is 1 mm, and the
distance from the slit to the screen is 2 m.

Since spots are almost uniformly spaced, the distance between dark spots is the same as
the distance between bright spots. So just find distance to first bright spot.

-First find the angle:


d sin   m  sin   m / d 
  sin 1  m / d   sin 1 1 5 x10 7 / 1.0 x103 
  0.0286

-Now use that angle to find the height of the first bright spot
tan   h / l  y1  l tan   2m  tan(0.0286)  0.00100m

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