DIFFRACTION GRATING CALCULATIONS

In a question on diffraction gratings, it is common that you are told that the grating has, for example, 500 lines
per millimetre.

To use this information in the diffraction grating equation, we need to convert it into a slit spacing, d. To do
this:

1. Convert it to lines per metre (for instance, 500x103 lines per metre)
2. Invert it. So 500 x 103 per metre becomes a slit spacing, in metre

Therefore,

Now you can use the equation to find the angle either in degree or in radian. For this particular example, say the
light in concern has a wavelength of 650nm. The angle in is therefore

nλ=dsinθ
you can clearly see that the ray subtends an angle with the first maximum. Therefore n will be 1.
Relevant question from question paper

1. Light from the tube was directed through a diffraction grating, labelled as having
300 lines per mm. The diffraction pattern produced was displayed on a flat screen

2.