In his double-slit experiment, Thomas Young used just a single color of light. Suppose he had used a mixture of two colors. What result would he have obtained?
A) The two waves would have canceled each other out, and he would have seen nothing. This is why he used only one color.
B) Two patterns would have formed, one on each color, exactly on top of each other.
C) Two similar patterns would have formed with the light of the shorter wavelength forming the more closely spaced pattern.
D) Two similar patterns would have formed with the light of the longer wavelength forming the more closely spaced pattern.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Two different colors of light have different wavelengths, and the interference pattern for each color would be distinct. The pattern created by the shorter wavelength would be more closely spaced than that of the longer wavelength, due to the relationship between wavelength and the spacing of interference fringes.

In His Double-Slit Experiment, Thomas Young Used Just a Single