The wings of some beetles have closely spaced parallel lines of melanin, causing

Question

The wings of some beetles have closely spaced parallel lines of melanin, causing the wing to act as a reflection grating. Suppose sunlight shines straight onto a beetle wing.

Part A: If the melanin lines on the wing are spaced 5.0?m apart, what is the first-order diffraction angle for green light (?  = 550 nm)? Note: The small-angle approximation will not work in this problem.

I figured out part A and it is 6.3 degrees. I really need help with part B.

Part B:If the vertical distance between your eyes and the beetle is 55cm , how far away (in meters) should you stand in order to see the green light? Note: The small-angle approximation will not work in this problem.

Explanation / Answer

theta = height /distance

(6.3 *3.14)/180 = 0.55/ d

d= (0.55*180)/(6.3*3.14) = 5m

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