Applied Science Lab
(BSL109)
Experiment #4
Submitted To: Submitted By
Dr. Vidhu S. Tiwari HARSHIT GUPTA
Roll No. 12411041
Branch: CSE-Gr. I
Semester: I
Session: 2024-28
Aim:
To measure the grating element of a diffraction grating and calculate the
wavelength of violet and blue lines.
Apparatus:
Spectrometer, diffraction grating element and mercury vapor lamp.
Theory:
● When a wave train strikes an obstacle, the light ray will bend at the
corners and edges of it, which causes the spreading of light waves into
the geometrical shadow of the obstacle. This phenomenon is termed
as diffraction.
Single Slit Diffraction:
● When waves pass through a gap, which is about as wide as the
wavelength they spread out into the region beyond the gap.
● Huygens considered each point along a wave front to be the source of
a secondary disturbance that forms a semi-circular wavelet.
● Diffraction is due to the superposition of such secondary wavelets.
● The secondary wavelets spread out and overlap each other interfering
with each other to form a pattern of maximum and minimum intensity.
The pattern formed on a screen consists of a broad central band of
light with dark bands on either side.
● The dark bands are caused when the light from the top half of the slit
destructively interferes with the light from the bottom half.
● Consider a slit of width ‘a’. Let at an angle θ, the path difference
between the top and bottom of the slit is a wavelength. This causes
destructive interference to occur because the path difference between
the top and the middle of the slit is half of the wavelength. At this angle
all the light from the top half of the slit will get cancelled with the light
from the bottom half to produce a dark band.
● Intensity minima will occur if this path length difference is an integer
number of wavelengths.
Where,
● n is the order of each minimum.
● λ is the wavelength.
● a is the distance between the slits.
● θ is the angle at which destructive interference occurs.
Diffraction Grating:
● Diffraction grating is an optical component having a periodic structure
which can split and diffract light t several beams travelling in different
directions.
● This depends on the spacing of the grating and the wavelength of the
incident light. At normal incidence,
Where,
● N is the number of lines per unit length of the grating.
● n is the order of the spectrum.
● is the wavelength of light.
● θ is the diffraction angle.
Procedure:
● The preliminary adjustments of the spectrometer are made. The
grating is set for normal incidence. The slit is illuminated by mercury
vapour vamp.
● The telescope is brought in a line with the collimator and the direct
image of the slit is made to coincide with the vertical cross wire. The
readings of one vernier are noted. The vernier table is firmly clamped.
● Now, the telescope is rotated exactly through 90° and is fixed in this
position. The grating is mounted vertically on the prism table with its
ruled surface facing the collimator. The vernier table is released and is
slowly rotated till the reflected image coincides with the vertical cross
wire.
● The leveling screws are adjusted so that the image is at the centre of
the field of view of the telescope. The prism table is fixed and after
making fine adjustments with the tangential screw, the readings of the
vernier are noted.
● Now, the angle of incidence is 45°. The vernier table is then released
and rotated exactly through 45° in the proper direction so that the
surface of the grating becomes normal to the incident light. The vernier
table is firmly clamped in this position.
● The telescope is then released and is brought to observe the direct
image. On the either side of the direct image, the diffraction spectra
are seen.
● The telescope is turned slowly towards the left so that the vertical
cross wire coincides with the violet lines of the first order. The readings
of the vernier are taken.
● The vertical cross wire is then made to coincide with the other lines on
the left and the vernier readings are taken in each case.
● The telescope is then moved to the right and the reading of different
lines is similarly taken. The difference between the readings on the left
and right on the same vernier is determined for each line. The mean
value of this difference gives 2θ-twice the angle of diffraction. Thus the
angle of diffraction θ for each spectral line is determined.
● The wavelength of the green line is 546.1 x10-9 m. The number of
lines per meter (N) of the grating is calculated. Using this value of N,
the wavelengths of the other prominent lines in this spectrum are
calculated.
Observations:
Formula we will use:
● N = sinθ / nλ
● Least Count (LC) = (Value of smallest Main Scale Division)/ Total no.
of division on Vernier = (1/2)/30=1/60 degree.
● Total Reading= Main Scale Reading (MSR)+ Vernier Scale Reading
(VSR).
● For MSR, take the main scale reading just before the zero of the
Vernier.
● For VSR, note the number of Vernier division coinciding with one of
the main scale division , lets say, n.
● VSR= LC * n.
Part (1):
Calculations: Green, λ = 546.1 nm
Left side:
Vernier 1:
MSR = 340.5
LC = 1 / 60
n=6
VSR = LC * n = (1/60) * 6 = 0.1
Total Reading = MSR + VSR
= 340.5 + 0.1
= 340.6
Vernier 2:
MSR = 160.5
LC = 1 / 60
n=4
VSR = LC * n = (1/60) * 4 = 0.067
Total Reading = MSR + VSR
= 160.5 + 0.067
= 160.567
Right side:
Vernier 1:
MSR = 19
LC = 1 / 60
n=2
VSR = LC * n = (1/60) * 2 = 0.034
Total Reading = MSR + VSR
= 19 + 0.034
= 19.034
Vernier 2:
MSR = 198.5
LC = 1 / 60
n = 10
VSR = LC * n = (1/60) * 10 = 0.167
Total Reading = MSR + VSR
= 198.5 + 0.167
= 198.667
# Difference in reading (2θ):
Vernier 1:
= 19.034 - (340.6 - 360)
= 38.434
Vernier 2:
= 198.667 – 160.567
= 38.1
# Mean (θ):
θ = (Ver 1 (2θ) + Ver 2 (2θ) / 2) / 2
θ = ((38.434 + 38.1) / 2) / 2
θ = 38.267 / 2
θ = 19.13
# N = sin θ / nλ
n=1
sin θ = sin(19.130) = 0.3277
λ = 546.1 nm
N = 0.3277 / (546.1 * 10-9) = 6 * 105 lines / m
Table:
Part-(2):
Calculations:
For VIOLET:
Left side:
Vernier 1:
MSR = 345.5
LC = 1 / 60
n=8
VSR = LC * n = (1/60) * 8 = 0.134
Total Reading = MSR + VSR
= 345.5 + 0.134
= 345.634
Vernier 2:
MSR = 165.5
LC = 1 / 60
n=6
VSR = LC * n = (1/60) * 6 = 0.1
Total Reading = MSR + VSR
= 165.5 + 0.1
= 165.6
Right side:
Vernier 1:
MSR = 14
LC = 1 / 60
n=4
VSR = LC * n = (1/60) * 4 = 0.067
Total Reading = MSR + VSR
= 14 + 0.067
= 14.067
Vernier 2:
MSR = 194
LC = 1 / 60
n=2
VSR = LC * n = (1/60) * 2 = 0.034
Total Reading = MSR + VSR
= 194 + 0.034
= 194.034
# Difference in reading (2θ):
Vernier 1:
= 14.067 - (345.634 - 360)
= 28.433
Vernier 2:
= 194.034 – 165.6
= 28.434
# Mean (θ):
θ = (Ver 1 (2θ) + Ver 2 (2θ) / 2) / 2
θ = ((28.433 + 28.434) / 2) / 2
θ = 28.433 / 2
θ = 14.21
# λ = sin θ / n * N
n=1
sin θ = sin (14.210) = 0.245
N = 6 * 105 lines / m
λ = 0.245 / (6 * 105) = 0.0408 * 10-5 m = 408 nm
For Blue:
Left side:
Vernier 1:
MSR = 342.5
LC = 1 / 60
n=6
VSR = LC * n = (1/60) * 6 = 0.1
Total Reading = MSR + VSR
= 342.5 + 0.1
= 342.6
Vernier 2:
MSR = 162.5
LC = 1 / 60
n=4
VSR = LC * n = (1/60) * 4 = 0.067
Total Reading = MSR + VSR
= 162.5 + 0.067
= 162.567
Right side:
Vernier 1:
MSR = 17
LC = 1 / 60
n=4
VSR = LC * n = (1/60) * 4 = 0.067
Total Reading = MSR + VSR
= 17 + 0.067
= 17.067
Vernier 2:
MSR = 197
LC = 1 / 60
n=2
VSR = LC * n = (1/60) * 2 = 0.034
Total Reading = MSR + VSR
= 197 + 0.034
= 197.034
# Difference in reading (2θ):
Vernier 1:
= 17.067 - (342.6 - 360)
= 34.467
Vernier 2:
= 197.034 - 162.567
= 34.467
# Mean (θ):
θ = (Ver 1 (2θ) + Ver 2 (2θ) / 2) / 2
θ = ((34.467 + 34.467) / 2) / 2
θ = 34.467 / 2
θ = 17.233
# λ = sin θ / n * N
n=1
sin θ = sin (17.2330) = 0.2962
N = 6 * 105 lines / m
λ = 0.2962 / (6 * 105) = 0.0493 * 10-5 m = 493 nm
Table:
Colour Left Right Difference in Mean λ = sin θ/
reading (2θ) (θ) n*N
Ver 1 Ver 2 Ver 1 Ver 2 Ver 1 Ver 2
Violet 345.634 165.6 14.067 194.034 28.433 28.433 14.21 408 nm
Blue 342.6 162.567 17.067 197.034 34.467 34.467 17.233 493 nm
Result:
● The Grating element is 6 * 105 lines/m.
● The wavelength of violet and blue colour is 408 nm and 493 nm,
respectively.
Conclusion:
From the above experiment we got the grating element 6 * 105 lines/m.
Grating element is the sum of width of slit and opaque spacing between
two consecutive slits. From the above experiment we found the
wavelength of violet and blue colour as 408 nm and 493 nm
respectively. However their standard values are 380 nm – 450 nm
(violet) and 450 nm – 495 nm (blue). We see that our values are coming
between the ranges and are correct.
