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Ex. No.: Date:

THICKNESS OF PAPER BY AIR WEDGE

Aim:
To determine the thickness of thin paper by forming interference fringes using an air wedge
arrangement.

Apparatus required:

Two optically plane rectangular glass plates, Sodium vapour lamp, thin paper and traveling
microscope.

Formula:
Thickness of thin paper

l
t= m
2

λ – Wavelength of monochromatic light (5893 Ao)

β – Bandwidth in metre
l – Distance between the edge of the contact and thin paper in metre

Procedure:
An air wedge is formed by keeping two optically plane glass plates in contact along one of
the edges and keeping a thin paper near the other end parallel to the edges of contact of the glass
plate. This arrangement is placed on the bed of the traveling microscope.

A parallel beam of light is reflected down on the air wedge by a glass plate inclined at an
angle of 450c to the horizontal interference takes place between the light reflected at the top and
bottom surfaces of the air film between the two glass plates. Interference pattern consisting of a
series of bright and dark bands of equal width is viewed by a traveling microscope, which is
arranged above the air wedge.

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Determination of the band width (β)
Least count= 0.001 cm T.R=M.S.R.+(VSCXLC)

S.No Order of Microscope reading Width of 10 Band width

fringes X 10 m
-2
fringes (β)
MSR VSC TR X 10-2m X 10-2m
cm div cm
1 n
2 n+5
3 n+10
4 n+15
5 n+20
6 n+25
7 n+30
8 n+35
9 n+40
10 n+45

Mean β = ................. X 10-2m

Determination of distance between edge of contact and Paper:

(R1 R2)

Position MSR VSC T.R=M.S.R.+(VSCXLC)

cm div cm
Rubber band (R )
1

(Edge of contact)
Given wire (or) (R ) 2

paper

Distance between the edge of contact and paper (l ) =… .................... X 10-2m

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 Microscope is focused on these fringes and the vertical cross wire is made to coincide with the
th
n dark fringe near the edge of contact of the glass plates. The reading on the horizontal scale of the
microscope is taken Cross wire is made to coincide with successive fifth fringes(n+5,n+10,n+15…..)
and the corresponding microscope readings are noted. The readings are recorded as in the table.
Using the traveling microscope the distance ‘l’ between the contact and the wire is measured.

The thickness of the thin paper is found out using the formula

l
t m
2

Result:
Thickness of the given thin paper: m

Viva Voce Questions:

1. What are coherent sources?

2. Give examples for monochromatic sources.
3. How can the thickness of insulation on a wire be measured by forming air wedge?
4. Can you determine the thickness of a very thick wire? Give reasons.
5. What is the effect of length of air wedge on bandwidth?

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Calculation:

Distance between the edge of contact and paper (l) = …………………..

band width (β) = …………………..
Wave length the of monochromatic source λ = ……………….

Thickness of the paper(t)

l
m
2

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