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ERIC Number: EJ1241159
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Jan
Pages: 2
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0031-921X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Two-Dimensional Diffraction Pattern by a Silk Cloth
Avvari, Ravi Kant
Physics Teacher, v58 n1 p46-47 Jan 2020
A diffraction grating is a plane surface having a large number of closely spaced slits running in parallel. When light of appropriate wavelength is incident on a diffraction grating it functions as a spectrometer, able to separate the light into its spectral components. Physical examples of interest for diffraction in the real world are numerous--for example, measuring the diameter of a human hair or fine thread-like material, diffraction due to razor blade, mesh, compact disc, banana stem as a natural grating, fabrics, and other materials. Students can also experiment with various materials--silk screen, cotton fabrics, a mesh made of closely aligned fibers (human hair, cat whiskers, and fur), and any other materials having microscale structures. In order to observe the wave nature of light, we should always choose the slit size and separation that is comparable to the wavelength of light. Here we revisit the wave nature of light by performing a simple diffraction experiment that required only a laser and a silk cloth (an approx. rectangular mesh).
American Association of Physics Teachers. One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740. Tel: 301-209-3300; Fax: 301-209-0845; e-mail: pubs@aapt.org; Web site: http://aapt.scitation.org/journal/pte
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A