In a double-slit experiment, if the wavelength of light is halved, what happens
Practice Questions
Q1
In a double-slit experiment, if the wavelength of light is halved, what happens to the fringe width? (2020)
It doubles
It halves
It remains the same
It quadruples
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
In a double-slit experiment, if the wavelength of light is halved, what happens to the fringe width? (2020)
Step 1: Understand the double-slit experiment. It involves light passing through two slits and creating a pattern of bright and dark spots called fringes.
Step 2: Know the formula for fringe width (β), which is β = λD/d, where λ is the wavelength of light, D is the distance from the slits to the screen, and d is the distance between the slits.
Step 3: Identify what happens when the wavelength (λ) is halved. If λ becomes λ/2, we need to see how this affects β.
Step 4: Substitute the new wavelength into the formula: β = (λ/2)D/d.
Step 5: Simplify the equation: β = (1/2)(λD/d) = (1/2)β_initial, where β_initial is the original fringe width.
Step 6: Conclude that if the wavelength is halved, the fringe width will also be halved.