Final answer:
When light passes through a double slit, it creates an interference pattern with alternating bright and dark fringes. The fringes are a characteristic of double-slit interference and can be explained by the equation d sin θ = mλ.
Step-by-step explanation:
When light passes through a double slit, it creates an interference pattern. This pattern consists of alternating bright and dark fringes. The bright fringes occur when the light waves from each slit overlap constructively, while the dark fringes occur when the light waves from each slit overlap destructively.
The interference fringes are a characteristic of double-slit interference, as they are formed by the interaction of light waves passing through two slits. The spacing between the bright fringes is smaller than the separation between the slits.
The phenomenon can be explained by the equation d sin θ = mλ, where d is the separation between the slits, θ is the angle at which the bright fringes are observed, m is an integer representing the order of the fringe, and λ is the wavelength of light.