Single and Double Slits

Physics 212 Computer Intensive Physics;HO-29(12/11/97)

Start a report file in Word. Be sure to record the name of all group members and
the title of this lab (HO-29) and the date(12/11/97).

Research Task #1:

Introduction to laser light

• Your instructor is going to show you a demonstration to start this lesson. But first, you
  should record your predictions for the following situation in your Word file.

A Helium-Neon (He-Ne) laser is a device which shines light that is very bright, is
coherent, and is all of one single wavelength (namely, 6328 x 10^-10m).

1.

2.

3.

Suppose you had a He-Ne laser shining on the wall. What would happen if you used a
sharp edge (such as a razor blade) to block half of the beam? Explain your prediction.
Would it matter if the sharp edge came up from beneath the beam, or came from the
side of the beam, or....?

Once the class has finished their prediction, your lab instructor will perform the
experiment. Describe what happened to the light and compare your predictions to what
you saw. What is special about the laser light?

What would happen if a second razor blade were brought in from the second side?
Record you prediction and then observe what happens and record your observations.