Student 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.
Attached Files:
Measuring the wavelength of light from a sodium light source.jpeg.jpg
Kumar, Christopher
Engineering Science and Physics
04/08/2021