The phenomenon of Newton's rings, named after Isaac Newton, is an interference pattern caused by the reflection of light between two surfaces - a spherical surface and an adjacent flat surface. When viewed with monochromatic light, it appears as a series of concentric, alternating light and dark rings centered at the point of contact between the two surfaces. Using this apparatus, students can observe the phenomenon of equal-thickness interference. By measuring interference fringe separation, the radius of curvature of the spherical surface can be calculated.
Experiments
Newton's rings.
Specifications
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Minimum Division of Reading Drum
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0.01 mm
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Magnification
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20x, (1x, f = 38 mm for Objective; 20x, f = 16.6 mm for Eyepiece)