Final answer:
When a thin film of transparent plastic is placed over one of the slits in Young's double slit experiment, it displaces the central bright fringe. The film increases the optical path by 901.35 Amstrong and has a thickness of 304.46 Amstrong.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Young's double slit experiment, when a thin film of transparent plastic is placed over one of the slits, the central bright fringe of the interference pattern is displaced.
The increase in the optical path can be calculated using the formula: increase in optical path = (fringe displacement * effective wavelength) / (2 * refractive index).
Substituting the given values, we get: increase in optical path = (4.50 fringes * 550 Amstrong) / (2 * 1.480) = 901.35 Amstrong.
Therefore, the film increases the optical path by 901.35 Amstrong.
The thickness of the film can be calculated using the formula: thickness = (increase in optical path) / (2 * refractive index).
Substituting the given values, we get: thickness = (901.35 Amstrong) / (2 * 1.480) = 304.46 Amstrong.
Therefore, the thickness of the film is 304.46 Amstrong.