Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-course-of-the-year-1-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2011/paper-1/section-a/a5/solution
Past exam of the physics course of the year 1 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2011 Paper 1 Section A A5 Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
For the double-slit experiment with oblique incidence, the optical path difference has an unknown incident contribution plus in the outgoing direction. It cancels between adjacent angular features. From a minimum to the next maximum, the path difference changes by :This incidence-independent adjacent-fringe wavelength uses the statement that intensity rises directly from the stated zero to the following peak. No absolute interference order or incidence angle is needed; nonadjacent extrema would require the number of intervening fringes.
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