If the wavelength of light used in a diffraction experiment is increased, what happens to the diffraction pattern?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
If the wavelength of light used in a diffraction experiment is increased, what happens to the diffraction pattern?
It becomes sharper
It becomes broader
It remains unchanged
It disappears
Increasing the wavelength results in a broader diffraction pattern as the angles for minima and maxima increase.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
1 item
Q
Q: If the wavelength of light used in a diffraction experiment is increased, what happens to the diffraction pattern?
Solution: Increasing the wavelength results in a broader diffraction pattern as the angles for minima and maxima increase.
Steps: 7
Step 1: Understand what diffraction is. Diffraction is the bending of light waves around obstacles or through openings.
Step 2: Know that the wavelength of light is the distance between two consecutive peaks of the light wave.
Step 3: Realize that in a diffraction experiment, light passes through a slit or around an edge, creating a pattern of light and dark areas called a diffraction pattern.
Step 4: When the wavelength of light is increased, it means the distance between the peaks of the light waves is larger.
Step 5: A larger wavelength causes the light waves to spread out more as they pass through the slit or around the edge.
Step 6: This spreading out results in a broader diffraction pattern, meaning the light and dark areas become wider apart.
Step 7: The angles at which the light and dark areas (minima and maxima) occur also increase, leading to a wider pattern overall.
