A-LEVEL PHYSICS: 3.4.2: The Diffraction Grating (SaveMyExams)

Question 1

diffraction grating:

Answer 1

piece of optical equipment that also creates a diffraction pattern when it diffracts light

Question 2

diffraction grating pattern for monochromatic light:

Answer 2

bright & dark fringes

Question 3

diffraction grating pattern for white light:

Answer 3

splits into its different wavelength components

Question 4

a diffraction grating consists of:

Answer 4

a large number of very thin, equally spaced, parallel slits carved into a glass plate

Question 5

diffraction gratings are useful because:

Answer 5

they create a sharper pattern than a double slit
so:
-brighter fringes: brighter & narrower
-dark fringes: darker & wider

Question 6

diffraction grating equation:

Answer 6

d sin(θ) = nλ

Question 7

applications of diffraction gratings:

Answer 7

-measure red shift
-measure wavelengths/frequency of light from a star
-spectra of materials
-absorption/emission spectra in stars

etc…