Double slit

The idea is to recreate the double slit experiment we saw in class. 

Things you will need to get or borrow:  aluminum foil (ask nicely at a burrito shop); tape; 2 razor or xacto blades; a laser pointer; some stiff paper or cardboard. Use one razor blade to cut a single slit in the aluminum foil (don't make the slit too long, 3-5 mm is fine, use a straight edge). Then stack the blades together (carefully aligned and taped together) and use the double blade to make a double slit. Look through the slits at a light to make sure they are of high quality (smooth edges, straight, uniform width). Mount the foil on some card stock to hold it. The result should look like below when you look through the slits at a bright light.

1. Setup your laser pointer to go through the single slit (this must be done with care). Describe your setup carefully, describe what you see, and take a photograph of the resulting pattern.

2. Setup your laser pointer to go through the double slits (very small adjustments to make sure laser is going through both slits). Describe your setup carefully, describe what you see, and take a photograph of the resulting pattern.

3. Take a selfie with your foil and/or one of the laser patterns.

Do one of the following:

4a. Use a laser with a different color, and compare the pattern of the two lasers when going through the same foil slits.

4b. Change how far apart the foil slits are and describe how the pattern changes. This is most easily done by inserting paper shims between the razor blades before taping them together.

Extra credit:  

Creativity. Examples might be a unique location for your patterns, many colors of laser, or incorporated into artwork.