Why is the following situation impossible? Two narrow slits are separated by 8.00 mm in a piece of metal. A beam of microwaves strikes the metal perpendicularly, passes through the two slits, and then proceeds toward a wall some distance away. You know that the wavelength of the radiationis 1.00 cm ±5%, but you wish to measure it more precisely. Moving a microwave detector along the wall to study the interference pattern, you measure the position of the m = 1 bright fringe, which leads to a successful measurement of the wavelength of the radiation.

Why is the following situation impossible? Two narrow slits are separated by 8.00 mm in a piece of metal. A beam of microwaves strikes the metal perpendicularly, passes through the two slits, and then proceeds toward a wall some distance away. You know that the wavelength of the radiationis 1.00 cm ±5%, but you wish to measure it more precisely. Moving a microwave detector along the wall to study the interference pattern, you measure the position of the m = 1 bright fringe, which leads to a successful measurement of the wavelength of the radiation.

Principles of Physics: A Calculus-Based Text

5th Edition

ISBN:9781133104261

Author:Raymond A. Serway, John W. Jewett

Publisher:Raymond A. Serway, John W. Jewett

Chapter27: Wave Optics

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 6P

See similar textbooks

Similar questions

A monochromatic beam of light of wavelength 500 nm illuminates a double slit having a slit separation of 2.00 105 m. What is the angle of the second-order bright fringe? (a) 0.050 0 rad (b) 0.025 0 rad (c) 0.100 rad (d) 0.250 rad (e) 0.010 0 rad
Two radio antennas separated by d = 3.00 102 cm. as shown in Figure P24.7, simultaneously broadcast identical signals at the same the signals. (a) If the car is at the position of the second maximum wavelength. A car travels due north along a straight line at position x = 1.00 103 m from the center point between the antennas and its radio receives the signal. (a) If the car is at the position of the second maximum after that at point O when it has traveled a distance of y = 4.00 102 m northward, what is the wavelength of the signals? (b) How much farther must the car travel from thus position to encounter the next minimum in reception? Hint: Do not use the small-angle approximation in this problem.
A circular radar antenna on a Coast Guard ship has a diameter of 2.10 m and radiates at a frequency of 18.0 GHz. Two small boats are located 5.00 km away from the ship. How close together could the boats be and still be detected as two objects?
Coherent electromagnetic waves with wavelength l pass through a narrow slit of width a. The diffraction pattern is observed on a tall screen that is 2.00 m from the slit. When l = 500 nm, the width on the screen of the central maximum in the diffraction pattern is 8.00 mm. For the same slit and screen, what is the width of the central maximum when l = 0.125 mm?
Coherent electromagnetic waves with wavelength λ pass through a narrow slit of width a. The diffraction pattern is observed on a tall screen that is 2.00 m from the slit. When l = 500 nm, the width on the screen of the central maximum in the diffraction pattern is 8.00 mm. For the same slit and screen, what is the width of the central maximum when λ = 0.125 mm?
The pupil of an eagle’s eye has a diameter of 6.0 mm. Two field mice are separated by 0.010 m. From a distance of 202 m, the eagle sees them as one unresolved object and dives toward them at a speed of 15 m/s. Assume that the eagle’s eye detects light that has a wavelength of 550 nm in vacuum. How much time passes until the eagle sees the mice as separate objects?
Two identical sources A and B emit in-phase plane radio waves with frequency 7.84E4 Hz and intensity 1.78E2 W/m2. A detector placed at location P closer to source B than source A detects a destructive interference. What is the intensity of the wave detected by the detector (in W/m2)?
Coherent electromagnetic radiation is sent through a slit of width 0.0100 mm. For which of the following wavelengths will there be no points in the diffraction pattern where the intensity is zero? (i) Blue light of wavelength 500 nm; (ii) infrared light of wavelength 10.6 mm; (iii) microwaves of wavelength 1.00 mm; (iv) ultraviolet light of wavelength 50.0 nm.
Two identical sources A and B emit in-phase plane radio waves with frequency 6.87E4 Hz and intensity 1.41E2 W/m2. A detector placed at location P closer to source B than source A detects a constructive interference. What is the intensity of the wave detected by the detector (in W/m2)?
Monochromatic electromagnetic radiation with wavelength l from a distant source passes through a slit. The diffraction pattern is observed on a screen 2.50 m from the slit. If the width of the central maximum is 6.00 µm, what is the slit width a if the wavelength is (a) 500 nm (visible light); (b) 50.0 µm (infrared radiation); (c) 0.500 nm (x rays)?
An EM wave with wavelength 6.50E-7 m passes through a thin slit and form a diffraction pattern on a screen 3.67 m away. The distance between the central bright fringe and the first dark fringe is measured to be 4.20-3 m. What is the slit width (in meter)?
The central bright fringe in a single-slit diffraction pattern has a width that equals the distance between the screen and the slit. Find the ratio λ / W of the wavelength λ of the light to the width W of the slit.