Interference & Diffraction

Monochromatic light from a fictitious multi-color laser passes through one or more vertical slits and produces interference patterns on a viewing screen for your enjoyment (and measurement).

Topics and Objectives:

• Observe the behavior of light passing through various configurations of slits.
• Investigate how the width of a slit and the wavelength of the light determine the diffraction.
• Determine the wavelength of laser light from the diffraction patterns.
• Measure the width of a narrow slit from the diffraction patterns.

Activities:

• Interference & Diffraction Lab – Student Version (PDF)

Preset Unknowns:

• Unknown presets for wavelength, slit width, and slit spacing

Support:

• Interference & Diffraction – User’s Guide (PDF)