Question

Suppose the separation of the narrow slits in Young's Experiment is 1.000 mm and the viewing screen is 5.000 m away. Plane waves of monochromatic 589.3-nm light illuminate the slits and the whole setup is in air where n = 1.00029. What would happen to the fringe separa- tion if all the air was pumped out?

Answer 1

If all the air is pumped out, the new fringe separation in Young's Experiment would be approximately 2.9465 µm.

Step-by-step explanation:

In Young's Experiment, the separation between the narrow slits is given as 1.000 mm. The viewing screen is located 5.000 m away. The light used is monochromatic 589.3-nm light, and the setup is in air where the refractive index is 1.00029.

If all the air is pumped out, the fringe separation would decrease. This is because the refractive index of air is greater than 1, meaning that light travels slower in air than in a vacuum. When the air is removed, the effective wavelength of the light will decrease, resulting in a smaller fringe separation on the screen. To calculate the new fringe separation, we can use the formula:

Fringe Separation = (Wavelength x Distance) / Slit Separation

Substituting the given values, we get:

Fringe Separation = (589.3 nm x 5.000 m) / 1.000 mm = 2946.5 nm = 2.9465 µm

Therefore, if all the air is pumped out, the new fringe separation would be approximately 2.9465 µm.