In a double-slit experiment, if the distance between the slits is doubled, what happens to the fringe width?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
In a double-slit experiment, if the distance between the slits is doubled, what happens to the fringe width?
Doubles
Halves
Remains the same
Quadruples
Fringe width (β) is given by β = λD/d, where d is the distance between the slits. If d is doubled, β becomes β/2, hence the fringe width halves.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
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Q
Q: In a double-slit experiment, if the distance between the slits is doubled, what happens to the fringe width?
Solution: Fringe width (β) is given by β = λD/d, where d is the distance between the slits. If d is doubled, β becomes β/2, hence the fringe width halves.
Steps: 6
Step 1: Understand the formula for fringe width, which is β = λD/d.
Step 2: Identify the variables in the formula: 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: Note that if the distance between the slits (d) is doubled, we can represent this as d' = 2d.
Step 4: Substitute the new value of d into the formula: β' = λD/(2d).
Step 5: Simplify the new formula: β' = (1/2)(λD/d) = β/2.
Step 6: Conclude that when the distance between the slits is doubled, the fringe width (β) is halved.
