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    Title: Diffraction of Light

    Version: July 1, 2006

    Authors: Gil Toombes, Andrew J. Telesca, Jr., James Overhiser, MartinAlderman

    Appropriate Level: Grades 9-12

    Abstract: The diffraction and interference of light are easily observedphenomena that give direct, tangible evidence of the wave

    nature of light. Diffraction is at the root of many technologies,

    scientific techniques, and common visual phenomena. Studentsexplore diffraction by shining a laser at a hair, a variable-width

    slit made from pencils, wire meshes of various size and

    diffraction gratings. After an introduction to single-slit and N-slit diffraction equations, students are faced with three

    challenges: (1) to measure the track spacing in a CD and

    DVD, (2) to determine the relative thickness of hairs, and (3) to

    estimate the diameter of a lycopodium spore. In the last twochallenges, students design their own procedure.

    Time Required: Two 40-minute periods

    NY Standards Met: 4.3l Diffraction occurs when waves pass by obstacles orthrough openings. The wave-length of the incident wave

    and the size of the obstacle or opening affect how the

    wave spreads out.

    4.3m When waves of a similar nature meet, the resulting

    interference may be explained using the principle of

    superposition. Standing waves are a special case of

    interference.

    Special Notes: Diffraction of Light is a kit available from the CIPT

    Equipment Lending Library, www.cns.cornell.edu/cipt/.

    Center for Nanoscale Systems Institute for Physics Teachers

    632 Clark Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853

    www.cns.cornell.edu/cipt/

    [email protected]

    7/06

    http://www.cns.cornell.edu/cipt/http://www.cns.cornell.edu/cipt/
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    Objectives:

    To recognize that light is a wave with a small wavelength.

    To learn that diffraction is the bending of waves around an obstacle, and todifferentiate this from projection.

    To gain familiarity with single-slit and multi-slit diffraction patterns.

    To learn that the dimensions of features in a diffraction pattern are inversely related tothe dimensions of the object causing diffraction for small angles.

    To apply the diffraction equations to determine the size of features on some commonobjects, including CDs and DVDs, hairs, and lycopodium spores.

    Class Time Required:

    Two 40 minute periods

    Teacher Preparation Time Required:

    5 - 10 minutes to set out supplies

    Materials Needed:

    Diffraction of Light is a kit in the CIPT equipment lending library

    Assumed Prior Knowledge of Students:

    Students understand the definition of wavelength, interference, and diffraction

    Background Information for Teachers:

    History of the particle versus wave debate for light:

    1. Isaac Newton (1642-1727) thought that light must be a particle

    a. Light cast sharp shadows, and it was commonly thought that only particles wouldgo in perfectly straight lines in order to cast sharp shadows.

    b. Water and sound waves were observed to bend around obstacles, not go instraight lines to cast sharp shadows. This wave behavior was clearly distinct fromparticle behavior, and light did not appear to exhibit such behavior.

    c. Newton had incomparable status in the scientific community, so his viewdominated throughout the 1700s. (Youngs experiments in 1803 finally gave the

    concept of light as a wave common acceptance.)

    2. Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695) thought that light must be a wave

    a. In ca. 1690, Huygens attempted to persuade Newton that light was a longitudinal

    wave, like sound wavesb. Huygens observed that light reflects and refracts like sound and water waves do

    c. He pointed out that if the wavelength of light were small enough, diffractionwould be minimal and sharp shadows should occur.

    3. Francesco Maria Grimaldi (1618-1663) thought that light must be a wave

    a. He passed a beam of light through two consecutive narrow slits and onto a surface

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    i. The band of light on the surface was a bit larger than the band of light enteringthe first slit. The beam had bent slightly outward at the edges of the slit. BUT

    his findings were neglected!

    ii. Grimaldi called this bending of the light diffraction

    iii. He observed colored bands of light towards the outside (different wavelengths

    of light diffract at different angles), and it remained unexplained for 150 years4. Thomas Young (1773 - 1829)

    a. Young [proved that light is a wave] in 1803 by sending light through very

    narrow openings and showing that separate bands of light appeared where thereshould have been nothing but the sharply shadowed boundary of the edge of the

    opening. These bands of light arose from the kind of diffraction around corners

    that Grimaldi had noted, and it could not be explained by the particle theory.

    Young had a more conclusive piece of evidence. From his study of sound he

    grew interested in the phenomenon of beats, in which two different pitches of

    sound produced periods of intensified sound separated by periods of silence. This

    was easily explained, since the two pitches had different wavelengths andtherefore did not keep step.

    Now, then, would two light waves add up to produce darkness? If they were

    particles, they couldnt; if they were waves, they could. Young introduced lightbeams through two narrow orifices. They spread out and overlapped. The

    overlapping region was not a simple area of intensified light but formed a striped

    pattern of alternating light and darkness, a situation (interference) exactly

    analogous to beats in sound.

    From his diffraction experiment Young was able to calculate the wavelength of

    visible light, for it was only necessary to figure out what wavelength would allow

    the observed degree of small bending. --Isaac Asimov, fromIsaac Asimovs

    Biographical Encyclopedia of Science & Technology, Avon Books, 1972b. Young used double refraction to show that light waves must be transverse

    5. Einstein

    a. In 1905 Einstein read Planks paper in which he calculated the electromagnetic

    energy radiated by a hot body. Plank was only able to get theoretical agreement

    with experiment by assuming that the energy emitted by the oscillating charges of

    the hot body was quantized, = hf. Plank had since distanced himself from thisstrange conclusion, but Einstein realized that h was not just a mathematical patch.

    Rather, it implied that electromagnetic radiation (light) was composed of discrete

    particles, each with energy = hf, and he called these particles photons.

    b. Einsteins particle theory of light offered a neat explanation for the photoelectriceffect, unexplained since its 1839 discovery in France. In 1921 Einstein won the

    Nobel Prize for his theory of photons.

    6. Confronted with undeniable evidence that light must be both a particle and a wave,

    physicists of the 1920s developed the concept of wave-particle duality to describethe nature of light. This non-intuitive conclusion is one of many that illustrates the

    fundamental weirdness of the quantum mechanical world.

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    Christiaan Huygens Model of Diffraction(Diffraction through an opening in a barrier)

    When one drops a pebble into the water, a series

    of circular periodic waves travel outward from the

    impact. Huygens generalized this result into a

    principle which states each of the infinite number

    of points on any wavefront acts as a source of

    circular waves, called wavelets, like those from

    a pebble dropped into the water.

    The top diagram shows seven straight wavefronts.

    At the third wavefront from the top, circular

    wavelets generated from point sources along the

    third wavefront are drawn. Note that the circular

    wavelets have the same wavelength as the straight

    wavefronts had. The wavelets superimpose and

    only add constructively at the location of the next

    wavefront, i.e. the second wavefront from the top.

    (Note that since waves are assumed to travel in thedirection indicated by the velocity vector, the

    other wavefront generated at the location of the

    fourth line from the top is ignored.)

    The second diagram from the top shows the same

    straight wavefronts approaching a barrier that has

    a large opening compared to the wavelength of the

    wave. The wave energy that hits the barrier

    simply reflects back (not shown here). The

    wavefront in between the edges of the barrier

    generates plenty of circular wavelets to add up to

    a straight wavefront except at the edges of the

    opening. At the edges of the opening, the circularwavelets created from the outer points do not have

    other wavelets to the outside to interact with. The

    overall result is a mostly straight wavefront

    passing through the opening with just a bit of

    curving at the edges, as only a bit of the wave

    energy spreads out behind the barrier.

    The bottom diagram shows the outcome if the size

    of the opening in the barrier is comparable to the

    wavelength of the wave. In this case, the

    wavefront behind the barrier has a relatively short

    segment that is straight and most of the

    propagated wave is curved. The wavefrontsbehind the barrier appear nearly semi-circlar.

    Summary: When the size of the opening in a

    barrier is large compared to the wavelength of the

    wave, relatively little diffraction occurs. When

    the opening is comparable to or smaller than the

    wavelength, much diffraction occurs, and the

    waves appear circular.

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    Christiaan Huygens Model of Diffraction(Diffraction around an obstacle)

    The top diagram shows straight wavefronts

    approaching an obstacle that is large compared to

    the wavelength of the wave. The wave energy thathits the obstacle simply reflects back (not shown

    here). The wavefronts on either side of the

    obstacle generate plenty of circular wavelets to add

    up to a straight wavefront except in the regiondirectly behind the obstacle. At the edges of the

    obstacle, the circular wavelets created from the

    outer points do not have other wavelets behind the

    obstacle to interfere with. The overall result is a

    straight wavefront on each side of the obstacle

    with curved wavefronts around the edges, as some

    of the wave energy spreads into the region behind

    the obstacle.

    The bottom diagram shows the outcome if the sizeof the obstacle is comparable to the wavelength of

    the wave. In this case, the straight wavefronts

    continue on either side of the obstacle; and the

    outside edge points of the obstacle are so close to

    each other that the associated circular wavelets on

    the two sides overlap substantially. The wave fills

    in almost completely behind the obstacle, there is

    no shadow cast; however, the superposition of the

    wavelets behind the obstacle creates an diffraction

    pattern. In the limit that the obstacle is much

    smaller than the wavelength, very little diffraction

    occurs, and it is as though the obstacle isnt there

    at all!

    Summary: When the size of an obstacle is much

    larger than the wavelength of a wave, relatively

    little diffraction occurs and the obstacle effectively

    blocks the wave energy from the region behind it.

    When the size of an obstacle comparable to the

    wavelength of a wave, the wave bends around each

    side of the obstacle and creates a substantial

    diffraction pattern. When the obstacle is much

    smaller than the wavelength, it has very little

    effect on the wave.

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    Answers to Questions:

    Exploration 1: The "shadow" from a strand of hair

    1. Carefully sketch the pattern of the light on the screen with the laser aimed at the hair.

    2. Does the pattern on the screen look like a shadow of the hair? Explain. No. There

    are several bright and dark fringes, rather than one dark line like a shadow.

    3. Why do you think the laser beam spreads out when you put the hair in the path of thelaser? The light bends, or diffracts, around each side of the hair and spreads out.

    4. What direction does the laser beam spread relative to the orientation of the hair? The

    beam spreads perpendicular to the direction of the hair.

    Exploration 2: Light between two pencils

    1. Carefully sketch the pattern of the light on the screen with the laser aimed through the

    slit.

    2. Does the pattern on the screen look like a shadow of the slit? Explain. No. There are

    several bright and dark fringes, rather than one bright line with darkness on either

    side like a shadow.

    3. What happens to the pattern when you squeeze the pencils to make the slit narrower?

    The pattern of bright and dark fringes becomes wider as the slit becomes narrower.4. How does the pattern of the slit compare to the pattern of the hair? The pattern of the

    slit is the same as the pattern of the hair. This is an example of Babinets Principle,

    named for the man who mathematically proved that an object and its inverse alwayshave the same diffraction pattern.

    Exploration 3: Wire meshes

    1. Record your data in the first two columns of the table. Calculate the distance d

    between adjacent wires in the mesh and put your answers in the third column.

    Mesh

    Distance between

    nearest bright dots in

    diffraction pattern (x)

    Number of wires

    in one millimeter

    (n)

    Distance between

    wires

    (d =1/n)

    Coarse 2.5 mm 2.0 0.50 mm

    Medium 5.5 mm 4.0 0.25 mmFine 8.0 mm 6.0 0.17 mm

    Finest 11 mm 8.0 0.13 mm

    2. How does the diffraction pattern change as the wires get closer together? The

    features of the diffraction pattern spread out, i.e. the distance between the dots grows.

    3. What is the mathematical relationship betweenx and n? They are directly

    proportional to each other.

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    4. What is the mathematical relationship betweenx and d? They are inversely related to

    each other.

    5. Predict the distance between nearest bright dots in the diffraction pattern if you had a

    mesh with 10 wires per mm. Show work. Since x and n are directly proportional,

    wires/mm10wires/mm8.0

    mm11

    or2

    2

    2

    1

    1 x

    n

    x

    n

    x

    ==

    Solving for x2 gives 14 mm.

    Exploration 4: Diffraction gratings

    1. Organize your data in the first two columns of the table. Calculate the ratiox/L.

    x L x/L

    8.8 cm 10. cm 0.88

    7.0 cm 8.0 cm 0.88

    10.5 cm 12 cm 0.882. Why did you have to move the display screen closer to see the diffraction pattern?

    The lines in the diffraction grating are much closer together than the wires of the

    mesh; therefore, the features in the diffraction pattern of the grating are much fartherapart.

    3. As you changed the distance between the screen and the gratingL, what remained

    constant? The ratio x/L remained constant.

    4. What does your answer to question 3 imply about the angle (see diagram above)?

    The angle also remains constant.

    Challenge 1: Measure CD and DVD track spacing1. Fill in the data table with measured distancesx1 andL. Calculatex1/L and use this to

    find the angle 1 with the formula ( )Lx11

    1 tan= .

    Media x1(cm) L (cm) x1/L 1

    CD 6.75 14.50 0.466 25.0

    DVD 11.20 8.20 1.37 53.9

    2. The wavelength of the red laser is approximately 670 nm. Use the diffraction

    formula to calculate the distance between tracks for a CD and a DVD. Show your

    work. The diffraction equation is:ndn sin=

    For the CD and DVD, n = 1, and solving for d gives:

    1sin=d

    Substituting the values of1 from the chart and= 670 nm, d is the track spacing:

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    CD track spacing 1.610-6

    m or 1.6m DVD track spacing 7.110-7

    m or 0.71 m

    3. Use the images below to measure the track spacing on a CD and a DVD. Write your

    answer in the blanks provided.

    CD track spacing __1.5 m____ DVD track spacing __0.73 m_

    4. How do your answers for questions (2) and (3) compare? Can you explain anydiscrepancies? The values for the CD and DVD track spacings as determined by

    diffraction and by SEM images are the same to within the uncertainty of these

    measured values. The accepted values for track spacing are 1.6m on a CD and

    0.74 m on a DVD.

    5. A CD can store 0.65 gigabytes whereas a DVD can store 4.7 gigabytes of

    information. How does the DVD store more information in the same size area? The

    DVD tracks are closer together than a CD, so it has a greater total length of track inwhich to store information. The smaller track width of the DVD also implies that its

    bits of information are more compact and that it can store more data per given length

    of track.

    Challenge 2: Is your hair thicker than mine?

    1. Describe your experimental procedure (include diagrams): Place each hair in the

    beam of the laser and measure the width of the central maximum (from dark fringe on

    one edge to dark fringe on the other). The narrower the central maximum, the widerthe hair.

    2. Record your data (neatly organized) and write any calculations: Answers will vary. If

    students actually calculate the width of their hairs, answers will vary approximately

    from 50 to 80 m.

    3. Write your conclusion: Answers will vary depending on the results of calculations in

    part (2).

    Challenge 3: What is the diameter of a lycopodium spore?

    1. Describe your experimental procedure (include diagrams): Shine the laser through

    spores thinly dispersed on a glass slide and onto a display screen. Record thewavelength of the laser, the distance to the screen, and the width of the central

    maximum (center of dark fringe on one side to center of dark fringe on the other

    side).

    2. Record your data (neatly organized) and write any calculations: The data are:

    Diameter of central bright spot = 2x1 = 1.1 cm, so x1 = 0.55 cm

    Distance of spores to screen = L = 23.5 cm

    From Challenge 1,

    ( ) ( ) === 3.15.2355.0tantan 111

    1 Lx

    If students simply apply the diffraction formula for a single slit, they will get

    ( ) m293.1sinnm670sin 1 === d

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    If students use the more accurate diffraction formula for a circular object

    sin22.1 d=

    where d is the diameter of the circular object and is the angle to the first minimum,

    they will get

    ( ) m353.1sinnm67022.1sin22.1 === d Measured with a microscope, Lycopodium spores from various plants range from 25

    to 40 m in diameter.

    3. Write your conclusion: The diameter of a Lycopodium spore is 35 m.

    Tips for Teachers:

    Remind students to be careful handling the lasers, to keep them lower than eye level,and to block the beam with the display screen.

    When students work with the wire meshes, check that the mesh is flat and orientedperpendicular to the laser beam. If the mesh has substantial curvature or deviates

    significantly from perpendicular orientation, additional bright spots will occur in the

    diffraction pattern that complicate interpretation.

    When viewing the diffraction pattern of the lycopodium spores, make the room asdark as possible. The rings surrounding the central bright spot are much dimmer thanit and cannot easily be seen with a lot of background light falling on the viewing

    screen. A green laser, which appears brighter than a red laser, can help with viewing

    the diffraction pattern. However, only the teacher should handle the green laser due

    to the greater potential for eye damage.

    Special Notes:

    Some of the original ideas for activities in this lab are taken from a lesson developed by

    the Cornell Center for Materials Research entitled,Diffraction and Interference of Light.

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    DIFFRACTION OF LIGHT

    What is the nature of light? Is it a wave? Is it a particle? Isaac Newton (1642-1727)

    thought that light must be a particle. He noticed that light makes sharp-looking shadowsof objects. This can be explained by particles of light that travel in straight lines until

    they are stopped by some object that lies in their path.display

    Waves, such as water wave and sound waves, can bend around obstacles in their path.

    For example, you can hear someone talking around a corner. This bending is called

    diffraction. When waves are diffracted (bent), they collide with other waves and interfereto form interesting patterns called diffraction patterns.

    Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695) thought light must be a wave because it reflects andrefracts like sound and water waves do. He attempted to correct Newton and pointed out

    that if wavelength of light were small enough, the diffraction or bending would be a verysmall effect and for most objects and sharp-looking shadows would occur.

    Due to Newton's greater status within the scientific community, his particle theory of

    light dominated through the 1700s. But was Newton right? You get to decide with theaid of a modern invention, the laser. The laser produces an intense, parallel beam of light

    at a single wavelength, which is ideal for investigating the fundamental nature of light.

    bent wavesinterfereand form adiffractionpattern

    paths of wavefronts

    waves comefrom a distantsource

    displayscreen

    light

    dark(shadow)

    light

    screenpaths of light particles

    light particlescome from adistant source

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    Exploration 1: The "shadow" from a strand of hair

    display

    ree

    sc n

    aserpath of l

    slide mountwith hair

    laserbinderclip

    sampleholder

    ~2 meters

    (top view)

    Instructions:

    Take a piece of your hair and tape across the opening of an empty slide frame and

    clip it with the binder clip of the sample holder.

    Clip the two large binder clips on the sides of the display screen at the bottom andplace the display screen 2 meters from the hair.

    Put the laser underneath the rubber bands on the mounting block, and aim the laser atthe hair and the screen.

    Use the binder clip to clamp the laser on, and adjust the laser as necessary to strikethe hair directly.

    Observe the laser light on the screen and answer the following questions.

    Questions:

    1. Carefully sketch the pattern of the light on the screen with the laser aimed at the hair.

    2. Does the pattern on the screen look like a shadow of the hair? Explain.

    3. Why do you think the laser beam spreads out when you put the hair in the path of the

    laser?

    4. What direction does the laser beam spread relative to the orientation of the hair?

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    Exploration 2: Light between two pencils

    pencils

    Instructions:

    Construct a narrow slit using two pencils and two rubber bands, as shown below:

    Rest the erasers of the pencils on the table so that the laser shines through the narrowslit between them. Position the screen 2 meters behind the pencils.

    Observe the pattern of the light that falls on the screen. Try squeezing the pencilsgently together to decrease the slit size. Observe any changes to the pattern of light

    on the screen.

    Questions:1. Carefully sketch the pattern of the light on the screen with the laser aimed through the

    slit.

    2. Does the pattern on the screen look like a shadow of the slit? Explain.

    3. What happens to the pattern when you squeeze the pencils to make the slit narrower?

    4. How does the pattern of the slit compare to the pattern of the hair?

    loop each rubber band once aroundone pencil, then wrap tightly around both narrow slit

    laser

    binderdisplayclip

    screen path of laser

    2 meters

    (side view)

    lasermount

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    Exploration 3: Wire meshes

    binderclip

    laser

    display

    screen

    path of laser

    wire mesh

    ~2 meters

    (top view) sampleholder

    Instructions:

    Find the coarsest mesh and clamp it in the sample holder. Place the display screen 2meters from the mesh.

    Aim the laser perpendicular to the mesh so that it shines through the mesh onto thescreen. Observe the pattern on the display screen.

    Record the distancex between nearest bright dots on the display screen.

    Place a clear plastic ruler on top of the mesh and use the handheld microscope tomeasure the number of wires n in one millimeter of the mesh. Record in the chart.

    Repeat for the other wire meshes.

    Questions:

    1. Record your data in the first two columns of the table. Calculate the distance d

    between adjacent wires in the mesh and put your answers in the third column.

    Mesh

    Distance between

    nearest bright dots in

    diffraction pattern (x)

    Number of wires

    in one millimeter

    (n)

    Distance between

    wires

    (d =1/n)

    Coarse

    Medium

    Fine

    Finest

    2. How does the diffraction pattern change as the wires get closer together?

    3. What is the mathematical relationship betweenx and n?

    4. What is the mathematical relationship betweenx and d?

    5. Predict the distance between nearest bright dots in the diffraction pattern if you had amesh with 10 wires per mm. Show work.

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    Exploration 4: Diffraction gratings

    Instructions:

    Find the diffraction grating marked 1000 lines/mm and clamp it in the sampleholder. Place the display screen about 10 cm from the diffraction grating.

    Aim the laser perpendicular to the grating so that it shines through the grating andonto the screen. Observe the pattern on the display screen.

    Measure and record the distancex from the central bright spot to the nearest brightspot (either side is OK).

    Measure and record the distanceL from the diffraction grating to the display screen.

    Move the display screen two additional times and recordx andL for each newconfiguration.

    Questions:

    1. Organize your data in the first two columns of the table. Calculate the ratiox/L.

    x L x/L

    2. Why did you have to move the display screen closer to see the diffraction pattern?

    3. As you changed the distance between the screen and the gratingL, what remained

    constant?

    4. What does your answer to question 3 imply about the angle (see diagram above)?

    laser

    displayscreen

    diffractiongrating

    L

    x

    (top view)

    sampleholder

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    The Diffraction Formula:

    Approximation

    (small angles only):

    dxn n

    For all angles:

    ndn sin=

    For two or more slits (identical, evenly spaced slits):

    = wavelength

    x = the distance between the center of the zero th order

    antinode (bright fringe) and the n

    th

    order antinode,measured along the screen surfacen = the order of the antinode being viewedd= the distance between the centers of the slits

    L = the perpendicular distance from the slits to the screen

    n = the angular deviation from the 0th order antinode to the

    nth

    order antinode on the screen

    For one slit:

    x = distances as above, but measured to nodes (dark fringes)n = the order of the node being viewed

    d= the width of the slit

    n = the angular deviation as above, but measured to nodes

    parallel light

    wavelength

    displayscreen

    x11

    Two or more slits

    (top view)

    object with

    narrow slits

    2

    x2two ormore slits

    d

    parallel lightwavelength

    displayscreen

    x1 1

    2

    x2

    dOne slit

    (top view)

    one slit

    object withnarrow slit

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    Challenge 1: Measure CD and DVD track spacing

    The closely spaced, parallel tracks of a CD and DVD act just like a diffraction grating.

    You can use the diffraction pattern to find the distance between the tracks.

    displayscreen

    CD/DVD1

    1x1

    sampleholder

    (top view)

    laser

    Instructions:

    Clamp the CD in the sample holder. Orient the bare section of the CD with thereflective coating removed so that it is opposite the binder clip.

    Adjust the height of the CD so that the laser beam falls in the bare section. Seediagram below.

    (side view)

    bindercliplaser

    beam

    sampleholder

    sector withaluminumremoved

    Place the display screen about 20 cm from the CD. Adjust CD and screen so both areperpendicular to the laser beam and the diffraction pattern is symmetrical.

    Measure and record the distancex1between the central bright dot and the nearestbright dot (either side) in the diffraction pattern.

    Measure and record the distanceL from the CD to the display screen.

    Repeat the same procedure for the DVD. You may need to move the display screencloser to observe the diffraction pattern.

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    Questions:

    1. Fill in the data table with measured distancesx1 andL. Calculatex1/L and use this to

    find the angle 1 with the formula ( )Lx11

    1 tan= .

    Media x1(cm) L (cm) x1/L 1

    CD

    DVD

    2. The wavelength of the red laser is approximately 670 nm. Use the diffraction

    formula to calculate the distance between tracks for a CD and a DVD. Show your

    work.

    CD track spacing _______ DVD track spacing ______

    3. Use the images below to measure the track spacing on a CD and a DVD. Write your

    answer in the blanks provided.

    DVDCD

    Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of a CD (left) and a DVD (right) taken at 2000X with 5 kV

    beam voltage. The CD has been stamped with data, while the DVD is blank. Note the 20 m scale bar atthe bottom of both images. Images courtesy of Dr. David Tanenbaum, Pomona College.

    CD track spacing _______ DVD track spacing ______

    4. How do your answers for questions (2) and (3) compare? Can you explain any

    discrepancies?

    5. A CD can store 0.65 gigabytes whereas a DVD can store 4.7 gigabytes of

    information. How does the DVD store more information in the same size area?

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    Challenge 2: Is your hair thicker than mine?

    Instructions:

    Secure a few pieces of human hair (one of your own!).

    Devise and write a procedure to determine which hair is thickest, which is thinnest,and order the hairs according to thickness.

    Make measurements and record your data below. Then write your conclusion.

    1. Describe your experimental procedure (include diagrams):

    2. Record your data (neatly organized) and write any calculations:

    3. Write your conclusion:

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    Challenge 3: What is the diameter of a lycopodium spore?

    Instructions:

    Carefully open the container of lycopodium spores (from the lycopodium clubmoss)and sprinkle a small amount on the glass slide provided. The slide supports the

    spores so that you can shine light at them.

    Devise and write a procedure to estimate the diameter of the lycopodium spores,which are fairly uniform in size and roughly spherical.

    Try to get the room as dark as possible to see the diffraction pattern of the spores.

    Record your data and calculations below. Then write your answer.

    1. Describe your experimental procedure (include diagrams):

    2. Record your data (neatly organized) and write any calculations:

    3. Write your conclusion:

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    S d S i Diff i f Li h