Ain Shams University Freshmen level
Faculty of Engineering Vibrations and Waves
Department of Eng. Phys. & Math. PHM 121 / Fall - 2024
Problem Set # 8
The Wave Nature of Light; Diffraction
Select the correct answer
1. A “wave front” is a surface of constant:
a) Phase b) frequency c) wavelength d) amplitude e) speed
2. Huygens’ construction can be used only:
a) for light b) for an electromagnetic wave c) if one of the media is vacuum (or air)
d) for transverse waves e) for all of the above and other situations
3. When light of a certain wavelength is incident normally on a certain diffraction grating the line of order 1
is at a diffraction angle of 25. The diffraction angle for the second order line is:
a) 25 b) 42 c) 50 d) 58 e) 75
Problems
1. Monochromatic light falls on a slit that is 2.60 10-3 mm wide. If the angle between the first dark fringes
on either side of the central maximum is 32.0° (dark fringe to dark fringe), what is the wavelength of the
light used? [Prob. 2, Ch. 35]
2. Consider microwaves which are incident perpendicular to a metal plate which has a 1.6-cm slit in it.
Discuss the angles at which there are diffraction minima for wavelengths of (a) 0.50 cm, (b) 1.0 cm, and
(c) 3.0 cm. (d) For a given wavelength , what is the maximum slit width for which there will be no
diffraction minima? [Pb. 4 and 8, Ch. 35]
3. Light of wavelength 750 nm passes through a slit 1.0 m wide and a single-slit diffraction pattern is formed
vertically on a screen 25 cm away. Determine the light intensity I 15 cm above the central maximum,
expressed as a fraction of the central maximum’s intensity Io. [Pb. 13 Ch. 35]
4. At what angle will 480-nm light produce a second-order maximum when falling on a grating whose slits
are 1.35 10-3 cm apart? [Pb. 30 Ch. 35]
5. A grating has 6800 lines/cm. How many spectral orders can be seen (400 to 700 nm) when it is illuminated
by white light? [Pb. 33 Ch. 35]
6. White light containing wavelengths from 410 nm to 750 nm falls on a grating with 7800 lines/cm. How
wide is the first-order spectrum on a screen 2.80 m away? [Pb. 36 Ch. 35]
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