Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach with Modern Physics (3rd Edition)

Published by Pearson
ISBN 10: 0321740904
ISBN 13: 978-0-32174-090-8

Chapter 22 - Wave Optics - Exercises and Problems - Page 649: 8

Answer

$500\;\rm nm$

Work Step by Step

We know, in a double-slit experiment, that the position of the dark fringes is given by $$y'_m=\left(m+\frac{1}{2}\right)\dfrac{\lambda L}{d}$$ where $L$ is the separation distance between the slit and the screen, $d$ is the distance between the two slits, and $m$ is the number of the dark fringe up or down the central maxima. Thus, the separation distance between the first dark and the fifth dark is given y $$y'_5-y'_1=\left(5+\frac{1}{2}\right)\dfrac{\lambda L}{d}-\left(1+\frac{1}{2}\right)\dfrac{\lambda L}{d}$$ $$y'_5-y'_1=(5.5-1.5)\dfrac{\lambda L}{d} $$ Solving for $\lambda$; $$\lambda=\dfrac{(y'_5-y'_1)d}{4L}$$ Plugging the known; $$\lambda=\dfrac{(6\times 10^{-3})(0.20\times 10^{-3})}{4(0.60)}=500\times 10^{-9}\;\rm m$$ $$\lambda=\color{red}{\bf 500}\;\rm nm$$
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