27.5 Single Slit Diffraction

One narrow opening spreading light into a broad central maximum with dark minima either side, where slit width rather than spacing sets the angles.

College Physics 2e, 27.5 Single Slit Diffraction

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8 exercises

27.5 Exercise 1

A diffraction pattern is formed on a screen when light of wavelength 410 nm is passed through a single slit of width 1 μm. If the source light is replaced by another light of wavelength 700 nm, what should be the width of the slit so that the new light produces a pattern with the same spacing?

0.6 μm
1 μm
1.4 μm
1.7 μm

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27.5 Exercise 4

(a) At what angle is the first minimum for 550-nm light falling on a single slit of width $1 . \text{00} \mu\text{m}$ ? (b) Will there be a second minimum?

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27.5 Exercise 6

(a) How wide is a single slit that produces its first minimum for 633-nm light at an angle of $\text{28} . 0º$ ? (b) At what angle will the second minimum be?

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27.5 Exercise 8

Find the wavelength of light that has its third minimum at an angle of $\text{48} . 6º$ when it falls on a single slit of width $3 . \text{00} \mu\text{m}$ .

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27.5 Exercise 10

(a) Sodium vapor light averaging 589 nm in wavelength falls on a single slit of width $7 . \text{50} \mu\text{m}$ . At what angle does it produces its second minimum? (b) What is the highest-order minimum produced?

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27.5 Exercise 12

(a) Find the angle between the first minima for the two sodium vapor lines, which have wavelengths of 589.1 and 589.6 nm, when they fall upon a single slit of width $2 . \text{00} \mu\text{m}$ . (b) What is the distance between these minima if the diffraction pattern falls on a screen 1.00 m from the slit? (c) Discuss the ease or difficulty of measuring such a distance.

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27.5 Exercise 14

(a) If a single slit produces a first minimum at $\text{14} . 5º$ , at what angle is the second-order minimum? (b) What is the angle of the third-order minimum? (c) Is there a fourth-order minimum? (d) Use your answers to illustrate how the angular width of the central maximum is about twice the angular width of the next maximum (which is the angle between the first and second minima).

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Integrated Concepts

A water break at the entrance to a harbor consists of a rock barrier with a 50.0-m-wide opening. Ocean waves of 20.0-m wavelength approach the opening straight on. At what angle to the incident direction are the boats inside the harbor most protected against wave action?

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