Two sources of light that both have
wavelengths equal to 700nm are separated
by a horizontal distance x. They are 5.00 m
from a vertical slit of width 0.500 mm. What
is the smallest value of x for which the
diffraction pattern of the sources can be
resolved by Rayleigh’s criterion
Answers
Given:
Two sources of light that both have wavelengths equal to 700nm are separated by a horizontal distance x. They are 5.00 m from a vertical slit of width 0.500 mm.
To find:
What is the smallest value of x for which the diffraction pattern of the sources can be resolved by Rayleigh’s criterion .
Solution:
From given, we have,
Two sources of light that both have wavelengths equal to 700nm are separated by a horizontal distance x.
They are 5.00 m from a vertical slit of width 0.500 mm.
⇒ λ = 700 nm
⇒ L = 5.00 m
⇒ a = 0.500 mm
here, we use the formula,
x = λL/a
x = (700 nm × 5 m) / 0.500 mm = 7.00 mm
∴ x = 7.00 mm
Therefore, the smallest value of x for which the diffraction pattern of the sources can be resolved by Rayleigh’s criterion is 7 mm.