Chapter 36, Problem 14P

In the single-slit diffraction experiment of Fig. 36-4, let the wavelength of the light be 500 nm, the slit width be 6.00 µm, and the viewing screen be at distance D = 3.00 m. Let a y axis extend upward along the viewing screen, with its origin at the center of the diffraction pattern. Also let I_P represent the intensity of the diffracted light at point P at y = 15.0 cm. (a) What is the ratio of I_P to the intensity I_m at the center of the pattern? (b) Determine where point P is in the diffraction pattern by giving the maximum and minimum between which it lies, or the two minima between which it lies.