What is the effect of increasing the wavelength on the diffraction pattern of a single slit?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
What is the effect of increasing the wavelength on the diffraction pattern of a single slit?
Fringes become narrower
Fringes become wider
Fringes disappear
Fringes become brighter
Increasing the wavelength results in wider fringes in the diffraction pattern, as the angular width of the central maximum increases.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
1 item
Q
Q: What is the effect of increasing the wavelength on the diffraction pattern of a single slit?
Solution: Increasing the wavelength results in wider fringes in the diffraction pattern, as the angular width of the central maximum increases.
Steps: 7
Step 1: Understand what diffraction is. Diffraction is the bending of waves around obstacles or through openings.
Step 2: Know what a single slit is. A single slit is a narrow opening that allows waves (like light) to pass through.
Step 3: Learn about wavelength. Wavelength is the distance between two consecutive peaks of a wave.
Step 4: Recognize that increasing the wavelength means the distance between peaks of the wave becomes larger.
Step 5: Understand that when the wavelength increases, the waves spread out more after passing through the slit.
Step 6: Realize that this spreading out causes the diffraction pattern (the pattern of light and dark bands) to become wider.
Step 7: Conclude that with a longer wavelength, the central maximum (the brightest part of the pattern) becomes wider, and the other fringes (the lighter and darker bands) also spread out.
