MCC Daily Tribune

COVID-19 does not stop engineering students 2: Measuring the wavelength of light from a sodium light source

The engineering students in professor Mohr’s upper level Physics course measured the wavelength of light from a sodium light source using a Michelson interferometer. A half-silvered mirror splits the incident beam from the sodium light source in two. The two light beams travel different paths. One beam travels to and from a stationary mirror, while the other beam travels to and from a movable mirror. These two beams are then brought back together and partially reflected into the observer's eye. Students looking into the interferometer will observer an interference pattern due to the different distances that the two beams travel. The yellow light from sodium actually consists of two very closely spaced wavelengths. These students are analyzing the interference pattern to determine the separation between the two wavelengths. They also used polarizers to determine how polarization affects interference.

The hands-on physics experiments allow students to appreciate the importance of accurate scientific measurements and collaborations to understand the scientific subject matter.

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Measuring the wavelength of light from a sodium light source.jpeg.jpg

Christopher Kumar
Engineering Science and Physics
04/08/2021