Question

When radio waves try to pass through a city, they encounter thin vertical slits: the separations between the buildings. This causes the radio waves to diffract. In this problem, you will see how different wavelengths diffract as they pass through a city and relate this to reception for radios and cell phones. You will use the angle from the center of the central intensity maximum to the first intensity minimum as a measure of the width of the central maximum (where nearly all of the diffracted energy is found).

Answer 1

Answer:

$\theta= sin^{-1}(\frac{\lambda}{a})$

Explanation:

Assuming we have to find

Find the angle theta to the first minimum from the center of the central maximum (Expressing answer in terms of λ  and a.):

a= avg separation between the building.

λ = wavelength

for single slit diffraction we have

a sinθ =nλ

for the first minimum n=1

a sinθ =λ

therefore,

$\theta= sin^{-1}(\frac{\lambda}{a})$