Question: One day, after pulling down your window shade, you notice that sunlight is passing through a pinhole in the shade and making a small patch

One day, after pulling down your window shade, you notice that sunlight is passing through a pinhole in the shade and making a small patch of light on the far wall. Having recently studied optics in your physics class, you’re not too surprised to see that the patch of light seems to be a circular diffraction pattern. It appears that the central maximum is about 1 cm across, and you estimate that the distance from the window shade to the wall is about 3 m. Estimate 

(a) The average wavelength of the sunlight (in nm) 

(b) The diameter of the pinhole (in mm).

Step by Step Solution

3.42 Rating (161 Votes )

There are 3 Steps involved in it

1 Expert Approved Answer
Step: 1 Unlock

Model Light passing through a circular aperture leads to a diffraction pattern that ha... View full answer

blur-text-image
Question Has Been Solved by an Expert!

Get step-by-step solutions from verified subject matter experts

Step: 2 Unlock
Step: 3 Unlock

Document Format (2 attachments)

PDF file Icon

1442_6054778bceda8_697305.pdf

180 KBs PDF File

Word file Icon

1442_6054778bceda8_697305.docx

120 KBs Word File

Students Have Also Explored These Related Physics Scientists and Engineers Questions!