EXPERIMENT No: 3

OBJECTIVE: To determine the wavelength of sodium light by using wage shaped method.
APPARATURE REQUIRED:
A travelling microscope, a sodium lamp, an optically plane glass plate, two microscope slide plates, an
arrangement having an optically plane glass plate inclined at an angle of 45°, a piece of thin plastic or
paper, a measuring sacle.
THEORY:
A wedge-shaped air film is formed between two glass slide plates when the plates are inclined each
other by inserting a thin paper at one end of the plates. The thickness of the film varies uniformly from
zero at the edge to a maximum value at the other end. The arrangement for observing interference of
light in a wedge-shaped film is shown in Fig.1a. The wedge angle is usually very small and of the order
of a fraction of a degree.
A ray of light AB is incident on the film will be partially reflected along BE and partially transmitted
along BC. The ray BC will be partially reflected along CD which will be partially transmitted along BF.
The two rays BE and DF in reflected light diverge. The path difference between the rays BE and DF is

When a parallel beam of monochromatic light illuminates the wedge from above, the rays reflected from
the two bounding surfaces of the film are not parallel. They appear to diverge from a point near the film.
The path difference between the rays reflected from the upper and lower surfaces of the air film varies
along its length due to the variation of the film thickness. These rays interfere constructively or
destructively producing alternate bright and dark fringes (see Fig.1b). The fringes are localized at the top
of the surface of air film.
When the light is incident on the wedge from above, it gets partly reflected from the glass ‐ to ‐
air boundary at the top of the air film. The other part of the light is transmitted through the air film and
gets reflected at the air‐to‐ glass boundary as shown in Fig.2. The two rays BC and DE reflected from
the top and the bottom of the air film, are coherent as they are derived from the same ray AB (through
the division of amplitude) have a varying path difference along the length of the film due to variation of
the film thickness. The rays are close enough if the thickness of the film is in the order of wavelength of
the light. Because the ray DE travels more distance than the ray BC, and also the ray DE undergoes a
phase change of half wavelength ( change), the interference occurs at the air to glass boundary due to
reflection. The optical phase difference between the two rays BC and DE is given by
∆=2 tcos+¿ 2
Minima occurs when the phase difference is an odd multiple of /2, the two waves arriving are 1800 out
of phase and give rise to destructive interference. Therefore, the condition for dark fringes, or
destructive interference is
1
∆=(n+ )
2

1
So, 2 tcos+ ❑ =¿(n+ )
2 2
2 tcos=n
For air,  = 1, and
2 tcos=n
Suppose the nth dark fringe is obtained at a distance xn from the edge.
The thickness of the film at this distance is t = xn tan. Then Eq. 4 becomes
2 x n tan cos=n

2 x n sin=n

If the (n+1)th dark fringe is obtained at a distance xn+1 from the edge, the for this fringe
2 x n+1 sin=(n+1)

On subtracting,
2 ( x n+1−x n ) sin=¿

2 sin=¿
where  is the fringe width that can be measured with the microscope. From the Fig. 3,
t
sin=
d
where d is the length of the glass piece. Then,
t
2 =¿
d
t
¿2
d
The wavelength of the light  can be calculated from the above relation. If a graph between 1/ and t is
plotted, a straight line of slope d/2 is obtained which provides the value of .
PROCEDURE:
1. Arrange the apparatus as shown in Fig. 2.
2. Level the microscope table, adjust the microscope tube in the vertical position and find the least
count of the horizontal scale.
3. Plug in and turn on the sodium light source.
4. Clean the surfaces of the two glass (slide) plates and handle them so that no smudges are left on
their surfaces.
5. Take a thin spacer of uniform thickness such as hair, thin paper or plastic sheet. Insert it between
the two glass slides gently at one end and the two slides touch each other at the other end. This
arrangement makes the slides inclined to each other.
6. Measure the length of the glass plate from its edge to the position of the spacer at the end. This is
the distance d and record it.
7. Now focus the sodium light on the glass plates vertically. Adjust the light source and the
microscope tube until the alternate dark and bright parallel interference fringes are formed in the
air wedge between the glass plates and are seen in the field of view of the microscope.
A.
8. Fix the vertical cross-wire of the tube to coincide with the centre of the straight fringes at the
edge. Note the reading of the microscope as x1.
9. Slide the microscope tube in another side with the help of slow motion screw till the cross wire
moves to the 20th fringe. Take the reading again as x20 and calculate  = (x20 – x1)/20.
10. Repeat the experiment for different values of t.
11. Plot a graph between 1/ and t, and find the slope of the straight line d/2 that gives the value of
.

C
E
A

Glass-to-air
boundary
D
B Air-wedge

 F
O Air-to glass
boundary
 t
q
xn

Microscope

Glass 45°
Plate (P) Sodium Lamp

Fringe pattern

Thin sheet
q

(a) (b)
Figure 2 (a) Microscope setting for measurement of Fringe width (b) Fringe pattern in air film

t
q
d
xn

Figure 3 Relation of xn and t for the air film

PROCEDURE:
1. Set the apparatus as shown in (fig.1.a)

2. Fix the cross hair to one of the parallel fringes produced, take the readings of the vernier at one of the dark
fringes(d0)

3. And then take the reading again after counting 20 dark fringes from the previous one(d21)

4. Calculate d using ݀ൌమభିୢబ

ୢ ଶ଴

5. Measure the length of the glass piece, starting from the edge of the thin spacer to the end of the plate (L).

6. Calculate the thickness of the plate using the following relation:

 L❑
2
t=
d

1. explain the shape of the fringes produced from the air wedge experiment?
Observation:
Vernier Constant of travelling microscope(VC) = ...........
Length of the glass plate P1 (l) = ................

Table : Observation of fringe width () with respect to thickness (t) of the film/spacer.

No. of order Microscope reading

Thickness of the x=
S. No. of the fringe x = ms + (vs b=
film, (t) ms vs x1 – x20
(n) × VC)
1. t=
2. t=
3. t=
4. t=
5. t=
6. t=
7. t=
8. t=

Calculation:
From the formula
t
¿2
d
We can calculate the wave length of sodium light,  = ...................

Result:
The slope of the straight line = .........................

Mean value of wavelength , = ..........................

Standard value of () = ..........................

% error in (= .............................

Precautions:

1. Two glass slide plates should be clean optically transparent.

2. A certain quantity of light should be used for clear visibility.
3. The point of intersection of the cross-wires should coincide with the center of the ring system.

VIVA-VOCE:
1. What is monochromatic light? Give an example.
2. What is the condition for the occurrence of interference phenomenon?
3. When the length of the air-wedge is increased, what happens to the fringe width?
4. Why the glass plate used in the pathway of the light source should be inclined exactly at 45°?
5. Bright and dark fringes are formed alternatively in interference pattern. Justify.
6. What happens to the fringe width, if the thickness of the material is increased?
7. Why do we get straight line fringes in an air wedge?
8. Can we use the polychromatic light instead of monochromatic light in air wedge method?
9. Is there any loss of energy in interference phenomenon?
10. It is hard to get the bars to be parallel in this experiment. Explain why the bars tend to be so wiggly.
11. Explain why it is necessary to use a special sodium vapor lamp for this experiment rather than an ordinary
white lamp.
12. Explain how the number of bars to be counted would be affected if the lamp were changed to a different
source producing red light. Would this make the uncertainty in the experiment smaller or greater?
13. Explain why it is better to place the hair as far as possible from the contact point of the glass plates.
14. How would dust and oil on the glass plates affect the results?
15. What percentage error would result from miscounting the bars by one?
16. How would the data and results of the experiment be affected ff instead of glass we had used a different
transparent material for the plates?
17. Explain the shape of the fringes produced from the air wedge experiment.
18. What is the reason for not straight fringes in the air wedge as shown in figure below?