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Young's Double Slit Experiment definitions

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  • Diffraction
    The bending of light waves around obstacles, leading to interference patterns.
  • Interference
    The process where two or more light waves superpose to form a resultant wave.
  • Constructive Interference
    Occurs when light waves combine to increase amplitude, creating bright fringes.
  • Destructive Interference
    Occurs when light waves combine to decrease amplitude, creating dark fringes.
  • Fringe
    A band of light or dark formed by interference of light waves.
  • Wavelength
    The distance between successive peaks of a wave, denoted by lambda (λ).
  • Slit Separation
    The distance between two slits in a double slit experiment, denoted by D.
  • Indexing Number
    A number (m or n) used to identify the order of bright or dark fringes.
  • Central Bright Fringe
    The brightest fringe located at the center of the diffraction pattern.
  • Angle of Diffraction
    The angle at which light waves emerge from slits, forming interference patterns.
  • Isotropic
    Having identical properties in all directions, as in light spreading from slits.
  • Amplitude
    The height of a wave, determining its brightness in interference patterns.
  • Tangent
    A trigonometric function used to calculate distances in diffraction problems.
  • Nanometer
    A unit of length equal to one billionth of a meter, used to measure wavelengths.
  • Trigonometry
    A branch of mathematics dealing with angles and distances, used in diffraction analysis.