The diffraction grating · TheLucidSTEM

Interactive Simulator · The diffraction grating

Find the Angles

Set the wavelength and the grating spacing and watch the orders appear at the angles given by d sinθ = nλ, with the highest order limited by sinθ up to 1.

Mission Predict the effect on the spread of the orders of using more lines per millimetre. Streak 0Best 0

Wavelength λ 600 nm

Lines per mm 300

Using more lines per millimetre makes the orders spread:

slit spacing d3.3 × 10⁻⁶ m

first-order angle–

highest order–

Maxima occur where d sinθ = nλ. Smaller d (more lines/mm) spreads the orders further apart.