Final answer:
The angle between the central maximum and the second-order maximum is approximately 0.387°.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the angle between the central maximum and the second-order maximum in a double-slit experiment, we can use the equation: sin(θ) = m * λ / d, where θ is the angle, m is the order of the maximum, λ is the wavelength of the light, and d is the separation between the slits.
In this case, the wavelength of light is 540 nm and the separation between the slits is 2.8 x 10^-6 m. Since we want to find the angle between the central maximum (m=0) and the second-order maximum (m=2), we can substitute these values into the equation:
sin(θ) = 2 * 540 nm / 2.8 x 10^-6 m
Using a scientific calculator, we can solve for θ and find that the angle is approximately 0.387°.