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Questions & Answers

Define wavelength and frequency in your own words and state the relation between them, (equation statement). (0.5 point) 


The wavelength (λ) refers to the distance between one point and the corresponding point immediately adjacent to it on a wave. Frequency (f) is how many wavelengths pass through a given point during a specified amount of time (usually one second). The speed of a wave, (v) can be found using the frequency and wavelength (Eq. 1).

v=f × λ (1)

Thus, frequency and wavelength are inversely related. The shorter the wavelength, the higher the frequency; the longer the wavelength, the lower the frequency.

Describe the pattern observed from diffraction around a straight edge. Based on your observation with the straight edge experiment, do you conclude light is a wave or a particle? Why? 


In the straight edge experiment, we observed that there was still a full image on the screen. This suggests that light is a wave because the wavelength of the light bends around the edge of the screen, which causes the diffraction.

When you illuminate the opaque disk in the straight edge/opaque disk using the laser through the lens, was there a light or dark spot at the center of the screen? Why?(1.0 point) 


There was a bright spot in the center of the screen, and other duller spots to the sides of the bright spot.

Is there a specific reason for using lasers in this experiment, and not ordinary white light, if yes what is it? (there may be more than one reason) (1.5 points) 


For single slit diffraction how would the width of the central maxima or the central bright band change

a) If the wavelength is increased (1.0 point) 


b) If the slit width “a” is decreased (1.0 point)