Question

A physics instructor wants to project a spectrum of visible-light colors from 400 nm to 700 nm as part of a classroom demonstration. She shines a beam of white light through a diffraction grating that has 600 lines per mm, projecting a pattern on a screen 2.9 m behind the grating.

Required:
How wide is the spectrum corresponding to m=1?

Answer 1

Answer:

  Dr = 263 10⁻⁶ m

Explanation:

The diffraction pattern for constructive interference is described by

        a sin θ = m λ

in this it indicates that the order of diffraction is m = 1

Let's use a direct proportion rule to find the separation of two slits. If there are 600 lines in 1 me, what is the distance between 2 slits

   a = 2 lines 1/600

   a = 2/600

    a = 3.33 10⁻³ mm = 3.33 10⁻⁴ cm

let's use trigonometry

      tan θ = y / L

as the measured angles are small

      tan θ = sin θ / cos θ sin θ

      sin θ = y / L

we substitute

     a  y/L = λ

     y = λ L / a

for λ = 400 10-9 m

      I = 400 10⁻⁹ 2.9 / 3.33 10⁻³

      i = 346.89 10⁻⁶ m

f

or λ = 700 nm

        y_f = 700 10⁻⁻⁹ 2.9 / 3.33 10⁻³

        y_f = 609.609 10⁻⁶ m

the separation of this spectrum

        Δr = v_f - i

        Dr = (609.609 - 346)  10 ⁻⁶

        Dr = 263 10⁻⁶ m