Question

exoplanets: is there life out there? 9. select two slits. decrease slit width to 200nm and keep slit separation at 1500nm. clickslow on the bottom of the screen. 10. click the green button on the light generator. record your observations about what happens to the light when it passes through the two slits in the wall. record using words and by filling in the drawing below with what you see. 11. how did the green light behave differently when there were two slits instead of one slit? 12. click screen. this will make an imaginary wall appear that shows any bright and dark spots which will appear when the light hits that wall. 13. describe what you see on the imaginary wall (called screen). is the whole wall bright or are there dark/bright spots? explain why. 14. select no barrier from the drop - down menu on the right. what do you see on the imaginary wall (called screen). is the whole wall bright or are there dark/bright spots? explain why.

Explanation:

1. When there is one - slit, light shows a single - slit diffraction pattern with a central bright region and some less - intense side bands. With two slits, light undergoes double - slit interference, creating a series of evenly spaced bright and dark fringes due to the superposition of light waves from the two slits.

12 - 13. On the imaginary wall (screen) with two slits, we see a pattern of alternating bright and dark spots. This is because light waves from the two slits interfere constructively at the bright spots (where the path - difference between the waves from the two slits is an integer multiple of the wavelength) and destructively at the dark spots (where the path - difference is a half - integer multiple of the wavelength).

1. When there is no barrier, light spreads out uniformly across the screen and the whole wall is bright. This is because there are no obstacles to cause interference or diffraction effects, and light travels in straight lines from the source to the screen.

Answer:

1. With one slit, single - slit diffraction; with two slits, double - slit interference creating evenly spaced fringes.

12 - 13. See alternating bright and dark spots due to constructive and destructive interference.

1. The whole wall is bright as there are no interference or diffraction effects from a barrier.