Diffraction Grating: Wavelength from sin θ = mλ/d

For a known line density 1/d, record diffraction orders m and sin θ, fit sin θ vs m; λ = d·(slope).

School· 24 min·Related simulator: CD / Grating Rainbow

Goal

Find λ of the line from the grating relation.

Equipment

  • 300 lines/mm grating (sim)

Theory

sin θ_m = m λ / d, so sin θ is linear in m with slope λ/d.

Procedure

  1. Set order m; read θ with noise. Repeat for m = 1…4.
  2. Fit sin θ vs m; λ = d·slope, d = 1/300 mm here.

Experiment

Conclusion

λ is consistent with the green line.