How Far Do Different Colors Spread in a Diffraction Grating Experiment?

[dlucia]

Question: Light from a slit passes through a transmission diffraction grating of 475 lines/mm, which is located 2.8m from a screen. What are the distances on the screen (from the unscattered slit image) of the three birghtest (first-order, n=1) hydrogen lines for red 657nm, blue-green 486nm, and violet 434nm.

I do not even know where to begin to solve this equation. The help is much appreciated.

 

[tiny-tim]

Question: Light from a slit passes through a transmission diffraction grating of 475 lines/mm, which is located 2.8m from a screen. What are the distances on the screen (from the unscattered slit image) of the three birghtest (first-order, n=1) hydrogen lines for red 657nm, blue-green 486nm, and violet 434nm.

I do not even know where to begin to solve this equation. The help is much appreciated.

(please use the homework template in future)

what equations do you know that might be relevant?

 

[dlucia]

dsin(theta)=n(lambda)

 

[tiny-tim]

ok, now apply that equation to the figures in the question …

what do you get? ​

 

[dlucia]

I don't know what to do with the theta, since it is not given. and would i say that 1/d=the 475 mm/lines?

 

[dlucia]

and the final units needs to be in cm

 

[sophiecentaur]

Personally, I'd do all the calculations in m and then, if demanded, change the final answer to cm.

 

[dlucia]

I have been trying everything under the sun and still can not get the answer right. i used the equation x=n(lambda)L/d
L=2.8m
Lambda= 657nm
d=(475 lines/mm)^-1

am I incorrect with that or no? Because the answer is still wrong for finding the distance between the slits.

 

[tiny-tim]

show us your actual calculation and results