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.
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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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 .