Young’s Double Slit Experiment – Fringe Intensity – Rankers Physics
Topic: Wave Optics
Subtopic: Young's Double Slit Experiment

Young’s Double Slit Experiment – Fringe Intensity

Assertion (A): When a width of one of the slits of Young's double slit experiment is double that of the other than brighter fringes are nine times brighter than the dark fringes.
Reason (R): The amplitude of the wave is proportional to the width of the slit.
 
(1) Both (A) & (R) are true and the (R) is the correct explanation of the (A)
(2) Both (A) & (R) are true but the (R) is not the correct explanation of the (A)
(3) (A) is true but (R) is false
(4) Both (A) and (R) are false

Solution:

In Young's double slit experiment, intensity is proportional to the square of amplitude \(I \propto A^2\). The amplitude \(A\) is proportional to the slit width \(w\). If \(w_1 = 2w_2\), then \(A_1 = 2A_2\). The ratio of maximum to minimum intensity is \(I_{max}/I_{min} = ((A_1+A_2)/(A_1-A_2))^2\). Substituting \(A_1 = 2A_2\), we get \(I_{max}/I_{min} = ((2A_2+A_2)/(2A_2-A_2))^2 = (3A_2/A_2)^2 = 3^2 = 9\). So, (A) is true. (R) is also true, as amplitude is proportional to slit width. And (R) correctly explains (A).

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