Question

Suppose you use the same double slit to perform Young’s double slit experiment in air and then repeat the experiment in water. Do the angles to the same parts of the interference pattern get larger or smaller? Does the color of the light change? Explain.

Short answer

It will result in the reduction in the angle of the identical components of the interference with no change in the color of the light.

Step-by-step solution

Double-slit experiment

Young’s double slit experiment can be performed with the two coherent sources in any medium and it will give an interference pattern after superimposition of the waves coming from the two slits.

Explanation

In a denser medium like water, the speed of light decreases, and therefore the effective path length increases, which results in a reduction in the angle of the identical components of the interference.

Since the frequency of the light remains constant when it travels between two mediums so there will be no change in the color of the light.