For a demonstration, a professor uses a razor blade to cut a thin slit in a piece of aluminum foil. when she shines a laser pointer (λ=680nm) through the slit onto a screen 5.5 m away, a diffraction pattern appears. the bright band in the center of the pattern is 8.0 cm wide. what is the width of the slit? answer in mm.

width of the slit = a = 0.0935 mm

Explanation:

width of central maximum for single slit diffraction is:

----- (1)

Distance between source and screen = L = 5.5 m

Width of bright band = w = 8 cm

                                   = 0.08 m

                               λ = 680 nm

Width of the slit = a = ?

Arranging (1) for a

                                     a = 0.0935 mm

heat the gas and measure the pressure

conservation of mass

mass before something happens = mass afterwards