wave optics lab report
DESCRIPTION
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Andrew Liu 1
April 20, 2015
Wave Optics Lab Report
I. PurposeDetermine the width of human hair using Babinet’s principle of wave optics.
II. ApproachThe experiment was begun by setting up the laser apparatus pointing towards a blank wall. Then, a strand of human hair was situated between the laser and the wall to create a diffraction pattern on the wall. Once the correct position was established, the distance between the slits on the pattern was measured. Afterwards, the distance between the hair and the wall was also measured.
III. Theoretical Development
θ=tan−1( distancebetween slitslength¿hair ¿wall¿)=tan−1( 1.24±0.05cm
133.30±0.05cm )=0.0093±3.714E−4
According to Babinet’s principle, the formula dsinθ=mλ can be applied to the situation, where d is the width of the wire instead of the distance between slits.
dsinθ=mλdsin (0.0093±3.714E-4 )=632E-9d=6.795E−5±2.603E-6m=67.95±2.603μm
IV. Observations and DataMeasurement LengthWavelength of Laser (given) 632 nmDistance between slits 1.24 cmDistance between hair and wall
133.30 cm
V. Analysis and ResultsNo graphs are necessary for this particular lab. A reasonable width of human hair was successfully determined from the calculations above.