PHYSICS PROJECT ROUGH

DRAFT
AIM: To Study the Single Slit and Double Slit Interference
PROCEDURE:

 A beam of monochromatic light is made incident on the first

screen, which contains the slit S0. The emerging light then
incident on the second screen which consists of two slits namely,
S1, S2. These two slits serve as a source of coherent light.
 The emerging light waves from these slits interfere to produce an
interference pattern on the screen.

OBSERVATIONS:
 The interference pattern consists of consecutive bright and dark
fringes. The dark fringes are the result of destructive interference
and bright fringes are the result of constructive interference.
DERIVATION FOR YOUNG’S DOUBLE SLIT EXPERIMENT:
- Consider a monochromatic light source ‘S’ that is kept a long
way from two slits S1 and S2. S is in the same plane as S1 and S2.
Because both S1 and S2 are drawn from S, they function as two
consistent sources.
- The light travels through these slits and lands on a screen that
is positioned at a distance ‘D’ from the apertures S 1 and S2. The
distance between two slits is denoted by the letter ‘d.’
- If S1 is open and S2 is closed, the screen opposite S1 is darkened,
leaving just the screen opposite S2 lit. Only when both slits S1
and S2 are open can interference patterns form.

- At the point when the cut partition (d) and the screen distance
(D) are kept unaltered, to arrive at P the light waves from s 1 and
s2 should travel various distances. It suggests that there is a
way contrast in Young’s twofold cut test between the two light
waves from s1 and s2.
- Under these conditions θ is little, consequently, we can utilize
the estimate,
- sin θ = tan θ ≈ θ = λ/d
- ∴ the path difference,
Δz = λ/d
- This is the path difference between two waves meeting at a point
on the screen. Because of this path difference in Young’s twofold
cut investigation, a few focuses on the screen are brilliant and a
few focuses are dull.
POSITION OF FRINGES IN YOUNG’S DOUBLE SLIT EXPERIMENT
1. Position of Bright Fringes
For maximum intensity or bright fringe to be formed at P
Path difference, Δz = nλ (n = 0, ±1, ±2, ….)
i.e. xd/D = nλ
or x = nλD/d
The distance of the nth bright fringe from the centre is
xn = nλD/d
Similarly, the distance of the (n-1)th bright fringe from the centre is
x(n-1) = (n -1)λD/d
Fringe width, β = x n – x (n-1) = nλD/d – (n -1)λD/d = λD/d
(n = 0, ±1, ±2, . . . .)
2. Position of Dark Fringes
For minimum intensity or dark fringe to be formed at P,
Path difference, Δz = (2n + 1) (λ/2) (n = 0, ±1, ±2, . . . .)
i.e. x = (2n +1)λD/2d
The distance of the nth dark fringe from the centre is
xn = (2n+1)λD/2d
Similarly, the distance of the (n-1)th bright fringe from the centre is
x(n-1)= (2(n-1) +1)λD/2d
Fringe width, β = x n – x (n-1) = (2n + 1) λD/2d – (2(n -1) + 1)λD/2d
= λD/d
(n = 0, ±1, ±2, . . . .)
3. Fringe Width
The fringe width is the distance between two consecutive bright (or
dark) fringes.
β = λD/d
When Young’s double-slit experiment equipment is submerged in a
liquid with a refractive index of (μ), the wavelength of light and the
fringe width both fall by” times.
β 1= β/μ
When white light is used instead of monochromatic light, coloured
fringes appear on the screen, with red fringes being bigger than
violet fringes.
4. Maximum Order of Interference Fringes
On the screen, the position of nth order maximum is,
γ = nλD/d
where n=0, ±1, ±2, …
However, because the 2nd approximation would be violated, ‘n’
values cannot take infinitely high values. i.e., θ is small (or) y << D.
⇒ γ/D = nλ/d <<1
As a result, the above formula for interference maxima can be used
n<< d/λ. When the value of ‘n’ equals that of d/λ, the path
difference can no longer be calculated as dγ/D.
Hence for maxima, path difference = nλ
⇒ dsinθ = nλ
or
n = dsinθ/λ
and
Nmax= d/λ
The above represents the box function or greatest integer function.
Similarly, the highest order of interference minima is given by,
Nmin=[d/λ+1/2]