In a Young's double slit experiment, two slits are located apart. The distance of screen from slits is and the wavelength of the source is . If the maxima of the double slit pattern are contained within the centre maximum of the single slit diffraction pattern, then the width of each slit is , where x-value is:
JEE Physics 2025 Question with Solution
Answer
Correct answer:15
Step-by-step solution
Standard Method
Given: slit separation , wavelength , and interference maxima are contained within the central diffraction maximum.
Find: the value of if slit width .
For a single slit, the angular width of the central maximum is
For double slit interference, the angular position of the maximum is
If maxima are contained within the central diffraction maximum, then the corresponding angular spread is taken as
Equating the two angular widths,
Cancelling ,
So,
Substitute :
Convert to centimetre:
Using , the provided solution concludes
Therefore, the required x-value is .
Extracted Alternate Approach
Given: and slit width is to be written as .
Find: the value of .
The extracted alternate solution states directly that the width of each slit is
Hence,
Therefore, the required answer is .
Note: The solution contains inconsistent intermediate statements and unit conversion, but both listed solution sections conclude with the final answer , which is used here as the authoritative answer from the source.
Common mistakes
A common mistake is to use the screen distance in the final relation even though the angular-width comparison cancels it out. This is wrong because both interference fringe positions and diffraction minima scale with . Work with angular conditions first, then simplify.
Another mistake is to count maxima on only one side of the central maximum. This is wrong because the statement refers to maxima contained within the full central diffraction maximum, so both sides of the centre must be interpreted consistently.
Students may confuse slit separation with slit width . This is wrong because interference depends on slit separation, while diffraction envelope depends on slit width. Keep for double slit maxima and for single slit diffraction.
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