Why Is the Angle 5.6° in Young's Double Slit Experiment?

AI Thread Summary
In Young's double slit experiment with a wavelength of 700nm and slit separation of 0.1mm, the angle subtended by 15 bright fringes is calculated to be 5.6°. The calculation involves determining the fringe separation and using the tangent function to find the angle. The student initially miscalculated by considering only one side of the fringes, leading to an angle of 2.81°. However, recognizing that the angle should account for both sides of the central maximum, the final angle is correctly doubled to arrive at 5.6°. This confirms that the angle subtended by the fringes at the center of the double slit is indeed 5.6°.
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Homework Statement


In a Young's double slits experiment, a monochromatic light source of wavelength 700nm is used and the separation of the slits is 0.1mm. If 15 bright fringes are observed, what is the angle subtended by those fringes at the centre of the double slit?
A. 6.0°
B. 5.6°
C. 5.2°
D. 4.8°

the correct answer is B, but why..??

Homework Equations


λ = y • d / (m • L)

3. The Attempt at a Solution

λ = 7 x 10^-7 m
y = fringe separation = ?
d = slit separation = 1 x 10^-4 m
m = order value = 15
L = distance from slit to screen = ?

I've drawn a triangle which represents the double slit experiment and I know the final step will be using tan Θ. There'll be only 7 bright fringes on the one side so m = 7 (not sure if it's correct or not...)
However, I've tried to get the equation with two unknowns (y and L).
I got: (7 x 10^-7) = (y)(1 x 10^-4) / (7)L
(4.9 x 10^-6)L = (1 x 10^-4)y
as tanΘ = y/L = (4.9 x 10^-6)/(1 x 10^-4) = 0.049
Θ = 2.81° (correct to 3 sig. fig.)

...which is obviously not the correct answer... so if it's multiplied by 2 , Θ = 2.81 x 2 = 5.62, which is answer B!?

Is there a better way? Can someone please help me out?
 
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The angle subtended means the angle formed between the 7th fringes on both sides and the center of the slit, so, multiplying by two is indeed the correct way.
 
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