What is the formula for the fringe separation in a double-slit experiment?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
What is the formula for the fringe separation in a double-slit experiment?
λD/d
d/λD
D/λd
λd/D
The fringe separation (β) is given by the formula β = λD/d, where λ is the wavelength, D is the distance to the screen, and d is the distance between the slits.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
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Q
Q: What is the formula for the fringe separation in a double-slit experiment?
Solution: The fringe separation (β) is given by the formula β = λD/d, where λ is the wavelength, D is the distance to the screen, and d is the distance between the slits.
Steps: 7
Step 1: Understand that the double-slit experiment involves light passing through two narrow openings (slits).
Step 2: Know that when light passes through the slits, it creates a pattern of bright and dark spots on a screen. These spots are called fringes.
Step 3: The distance between two adjacent bright spots (or dark spots) on the screen is called fringe separation, represented by the symbol β.
Step 4: The formula for calculating fringe separation is β = λD/d.
Step 5: In this formula, λ (lambda) represents the wavelength of the light used, D is the distance from the slits to the screen, and d is the distance between the two slits.
Step 6: To use the formula, you need to know the values of λ, D, and d.
Step 7: Plug in the values into the formula to calculate the fringe separation (β).