What is the relationship between the wavelength of light and the angle of diffra
Practice Questions
Q1
What is the relationship between the wavelength of light and the angle of diffraction in a single-slit experiment? (2023)
Directly proportional
Inversely proportional
No relationship
Exponential relationship
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What is the relationship between the wavelength of light and the angle of diffraction in a single-slit experiment? (2023)
Step 1: Understand what wavelength is. Wavelength is the distance between two peaks of a wave of light.
Step 2: Learn about diffraction. Diffraction is the bending of light waves when they pass through a narrow opening, like a slit.
Step 3: In a single-slit experiment, light passes through one slit and creates a pattern of light and dark areas on a screen.
Step 4: The angle of diffraction is the angle at which the light waves spread out after passing through the slit.
Step 5: Know that as the wavelength of light increases (meaning the waves are longer), the angle at which the light spreads out (the angle of diffraction) becomes smaller.
Step 6: Conversely, if the wavelength decreases (the waves are shorter), the angle of diffraction increases.
Step 7: This means that the angle of diffraction is inversely proportional to the wavelength: longer wavelengths lead to smaller angles, and shorter wavelengths lead to larger angles.
