We have studied diffraction from a single slit, where light is sent through a th

Question

We have studied diffraction from a single slit, where light is sent through a thin opening. A similar phenomena occurs when light bends around a thin object, like a human hair. Here the width of the hair plays the role of the width of the single slit. Measurements found that when a beam of light of wavelength 632.8 nm was shone on a single strand of hair, the first dark fringes on either side of the central bright spot were 5.22 cm apart. If the screen is 1.25 meters away, how thick was this strand of hair?

Explanation / Answer

for single slit,the first dark fringes on either side of the central bright spot = lambda*D/a = 5.22 cm

a= 1.51*10^(-9) m = 1.59 nm

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