INTERFERENCE & DIFFRACTION

Q4 | LAST SESSION

GENERAL
PHYSICS
2
 DIRECTIONS: READ THE FOLLOWING PROBLEMS
CAREFULLY THEN SOLVE. SHOW YOUR COMPLETE
SOLUTION.

What is the highest-

order constructive
interference that can
be obtained from a
laser beam whose
wavelength is 640
nm through two slits
separated by 0.015
mm? The maximum
possible angle is 900
for a fringe to
appear on the
screen.

Therefore, the largest integer m can be is 23.

FURTHER DISCUSSION
The number of fringes depends on the wavelength and slit
separation. If the slit separation becomes much greater than
the wavelength, the intensity of the interference pattern
changes so that the screen has two bright lines cast by the
slits, when light behaves like a ray. Remember that the fringes
get obscure further away from the center. Thus, not all 23
fringes may be observable.