If a diffraction grating has 2,000 lines/cm, what is the distance between two lines on the grating?

Group of answer choices

0.00020 cm

0.00050 cm

8x10-6 m

0.00040 cm

1 answer

To find the distance between two lines on a diffraction grating, we can use the formula:

\[ \text{Distance between lines} = \frac{1}{\text{number of lines per cm}} \]

Given that the grating has 2000 lines per cm, we can calculate:

\[ \text{Distance} = \frac{1 \text{ cm}}{2000 \text{ lines}} = \frac{1}{2000} \text{ cm} \]

Converting 1 cm into meters:

1 cm = 0.01 m

Therefore, the calculation will be:

\[ \text{Distance} = \frac{0.01 \text{ m}}{2000} = 0.000005 \text{ m} = 5 \times 10^{-6} \text{ m} \]

Now, in centimeters:

\[ \text{Distance} = 0.0005 \text{ cm} \]

None of these directly correspond to earlier prints, but from the options given:

  • 0.00020 cm
  • 0.00050 cm
  • \(8 \times 10^{-6} m\) (which equals 0.000008 m or 0.00080 cm)
  • 0.00040 cm

The correct choice based on our calculated value of 0.0005 cm is:

0.00050 cm