EmilyBergendahl said:
In the statement of the problem in the OP (original post=post 1), it states that it is a "second order maximum" that they are observing. Thereby ## m=2 ## in the equation ## m \lambda=d \sin{\theta} ##.Zeynep Celik said:
didn't notice that, thanks!Charles Link said:
The number of lines on a diffraction grating can be calculated by dividing the distance between the grating's rulings (also known as the grating spacing) by the wavelength of the light source. This calculation is known as the grating equation: N = d/λ, where N is the number of lines, d is the grating spacing, and λ is the wavelength of light.
The grating spacing refers to the distance between the parallel rulings on a diffraction grating. This distance is typically measured in millimeters (mm) or micrometers (μm) and is a crucial factor in determining the number of lines on the grating.
The number of lines on a diffraction grating directly affects the diffraction pattern by determining the angle at which the diffracted light will be observed. As the number of lines increases, the angle of diffraction also increases, resulting in a wider diffraction pattern.
The number of lines on a diffraction grating is a fixed characteristic of the grating and cannot be changed. However, different gratings can have different numbers of lines, which can be chosen based on the desired diffraction pattern and experimental conditions.
The wavelength of light is a crucial factor in calculating the number of lines on a diffraction grating. As the wavelength increases, the number of lines also increases. This means that longer wavelengths of light will require a grating with a lower number of lines, while shorter wavelengths will require a grating with a higher number of lines to produce the same diffraction pattern.