A beam of light passes through a narrow slit and produces a diffraction pattern.

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Question: A beam of light passes through a narrow slit and produces a diffraction pattern. What is the angle of the first minimum? (2019)

Options:

Correct Answer: λ/a

Exam Year: 2019

Solution:

The angle of the first minimum in single-slit diffraction is given by sin(θ) = λ/a, where a is the width of the slit.

A beam of light passes through a narrow slit and produces a diffraction pattern. What is the angle of the first minimum? (2019)

A beam of light passes through a narrow slit and produces a diffraction pattern. What is the angle of the first minimum? (2019)

Step 1: Identify the parameters needed for the calculation. You need the wavelength of the light (λ) and the width of the slit (a).
Step 2: Use the formula for the angle of the first minimum in single-slit diffraction, which is sin(θ) = λ/a.
Step 3: Rearrange the formula to find θ. You will need to calculate the inverse sine (arcsin) of the value you get from λ/a.
Step 4: Plug in the values of λ and a into the formula to calculate sin(θ).
Step 5: Use a calculator to find θ by taking the arcsin of the result from Step 4.

Single-Slit Diffraction – The phenomenon where light spreads out after passing through a narrow slit, creating a pattern of light and dark regions.
Angle of Minimum – The angle at which destructive interference occurs, leading to the first dark fringe in the diffraction pattern.
Wavelength and Slit Width Relationship – The relationship between the wavelength of light (λ) and the width of the slit (a) that determines the position of the minima in the diffraction pattern.