If the slit width is halved in a single-slit diffraction experiment, what happens to the angular width of the central maximum?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
If the slit width is halved in a single-slit diffraction experiment, what happens to the angular width of the central maximum?
It doubles
It halves
It remains the same
It quadruples
Halving the slit width increases the angular width of the central maximum, making it double.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
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Q
Q: If the slit width is halved in a single-slit diffraction experiment, what happens to the angular width of the central maximum?
Solution: Halving the slit width increases the angular width of the central maximum, making it double.
Steps: 6
Step 1: Understand that in a single-slit diffraction experiment, light passes through a narrow slit and creates a pattern of light and dark bands on a screen.
Step 2: The central maximum is the brightest and widest band in this pattern.
Step 3: The width of the central maximum is related to the width of the slit. A wider slit produces a narrower central maximum, while a narrower slit produces a wider central maximum.
Step 4: If we halve the width of the slit, we are making it narrower.
Step 5: Since the slit is now narrower, the central maximum will become wider.
Step 6: Specifically, halving the slit width doubles the angular width of the central maximum.
