Question

1. How does adjusting the slit width change the diffraction envelope?

2. How does adjusting the wavelength change the diffraction envelope?

Answer 1

1) Diffraction is the bending of a wave around an obstacle or through an opening. The closer the obstacle/opening is to the wave's wavelength, the greater the amount of diffraction. If we increase the slit width amount of diffraction decreases and vice versa.

2) The angle of diffraction is directly proportional to the size of the wavelength. Greater wavelength means greater diffraction.

Hence red light (long wavelength) diffracts more than blue light (short wavelength)