Grating Diffraction

Tutorial

One of the most famous experiments about light involves passing it through slits and watching the light waves diffract or dissapate after the slit.

If two slits are used, a familiar pattern of interference occurs, as illustrated below.

A doctor Young early in the 1800s discovered this phenomenon. It follows the rule below:

m*&lambda = d * sin(&theta)

Use the interactive applet below to experiment with a virtual dual slit experiment. You need to have Java Applets enabled on your web browser for the applet to display properly.