Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
In a double-slit experiment the slits are mm apart and the screen is m away. A student measures the distance from the 4th bright fringe on the left of the centre to the 4th bright fringe on the right, and finds mm. Find the fringe width, the wavelength of the light and the distance of the 2nd dark fringe from the centre. Then find the fringe width if the screen is moved to m.
In Young's double slit, the path difference at height is . The bright fringes are at , the dark fringes are halfway between, and all fringes are apart. In a medium the wavelength is .
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. The fringe width. Between the 4th bright fringe on the left and the 4th on the right there are fringe widths. So .
Step 2. The wavelength. We want , so .
Step 3. The 2nd dark fringe. The first dark fringe is at , so the second is at .
Step 4. The new screen. is in proportion to . So .
Answer: mm; nm (blue-green light); mm; mm.
Watch out. Counting from the 4th fringe on the left to the 4th on the right gives gaps, not and not .
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