Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
White light with wavelengths from nm to nm falls on a grating that has lines in each millimetre. Find the angular width of the first-order spectrum, the angle of the violet end of the third-order spectrum and the angle of the red end of the second-order spectrum. Then find by how many degrees the second and third orders overlap.
A grating of spacing gives bright lines at . The highest order has . In a real double slit, an order is missing when , and the orders inside the central maximum have .
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 distance. .
Step 2. The first order. The violet end is at , which is . The red end is at , which is . The width is .
Step 3. The red end of order 2. , so .
Step 4. The violet end of order 3. , so .
Step 5. The overlap. .
Answer: ; ; ; .
Check. The red end of the second order lies beyond the violet end of the third order. So the two spectra overlap, as we expect from .
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