RP2 interference effects

• equipment:

  • laser
  • double slit
  • white screen
  • ruler
• method:

  • set up apparatus, make sure room is dark
  • if not stated, measure slit separation using vernier callipers
  • adjust so that D is 0.5m
  • measure the distance across a large number of fringes, divide by number of fringes to find w
  • increase D by 0.01m and repeat, until D is 1.5m
  • repeat everything twice, calculate a mean w for each D
• safety:

  • do not shine lasers into anyone's eyes
  • do not look into any lasers
• improvements:

  • use a set square as well as a ruler to make sure the measurement is straight
  • make sure the laser is aligned parallel to the double slit and screen to avoid parallax error