Pick a laser. Turn it on. Shine it at a couple of closely-spaced double slits and project the diffraction pattern onto a distant screen. Make some measurements and use Young's Equation to determine the wavelength of light. Repeat your measurements and calculations for all three lasers and check your answers. For background information, visit The Physics Classroom Tutorial lesson on the topic. Once you're ready, Launch the Interactive and begin.
 

Launch Interactive


Users are encouraged to open the Interactive and explore. The Interactive provides built-in feedback regarding the accuracy of your wavelength measurements. For a more guided experience, an activity has been prepared by The Physics Classroom. The activity is intended for use by teachers with their students in the classroom. View Activity.

Now available with Task Tracker compatibility. Learn more.
 
Learners and Instructors may also be interested in viewing the accompanying Notes page. Technical information, teaching suggestions, and related resources that complement this Interactive are provided on the Notes page. View Notes.

NOTE: We re-did this simulation in January of 2022 in response to numerous answer key complaints. The redo should solve the issues associated with answer ambiguity. Some users may prefer the older Version 1 that is still present here: