Diffraction derivation on Wiki - wrong?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the potential inaccuracy of the Wikipedia derivation for Fraunhofer diffraction related to single-slit intensity calculations. The user highlights a specific integral from the "Quantitative analysis of single-slit diffraction" section, questioning how the 'a' term appears in the denominator of the final result. They invite others to verify their concerns and suggest that if the derivation is indeed incorrect, it should be corrected on Wikipedia. The conversation emphasizes the importance of accurate mathematical representation in educational resources. Ultimately, the user seeks collaborative verification and potential correction of the information.
jetpeach
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Hey Everyone, anybody want to verify if what I believe is true- Wikipedia has an incorrect derivation for Fraunhoffer diffraction to calculate the intensity from a single slit.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction
The step I believe they "fudged" is the final integral under "Quantitative analysis of single-slit diffraction". The integral is from -a/2 to a/2 when they find it equal to (e^ikax/2z - e^-ikax/2z ) / (2ikax/2z). I believe this is the correct answer for this type of diffraction, but if I remember my integrals I can't see how they get the 'a' term in the denominator. Take a look, let me know what you think, if it really is wrong and somebody can correct the Wiki page, would they do so? (just click edit on the section) Or if we discuss it here and find it is in error, I'll correct it later.
Thanks! jet
 
Science news on Phys.org
That C is arbitary and can be redefined as to factor "1/a"...

Daniel.
 
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