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Date May 2022 Marks available 1 Reference code 22M.1.HL.TZ1.16
Level Higher level Paper Paper 1 Time zone 1
Command term Question number 16 Adapted from N/A

Question

Monochromatic light of wavelength λ is incident on two slits S1 and S2. An interference pattern is observed on the screen.

O is equidistant from S1 and S2. A bright fringe is observed at O and a dark fringe at X.

There are two dark fringes between O and X. What is the path difference between the light arriving at X from the two slits?

A.  λ2

B.  3λ2

C.  5λ2

D.  7λ2

Markscheme

C

Examiners report

With a relatively high discrimination index, this question was well answered by stronger HL candidates. Some students had difficulty recognising that there would be 2.5λ rather than 1.5λ, and as a result option B was a significant distractor.

Syllabus sections

Core » Topic 4: Waves » 4.4 – Wave behaviour
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