CD or DVD Gratings

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 Code Number :   6D20.32 

Disclaimer:

Reprinted by permission of Dick Berg, University of Maryland, for use on this website.

The demonstrations contained and referenced herein are listed for the purposes of cataloging and describing physics demonstrations which should be conducted only under the direction of a trained instructional support professional or physicist. These demonstrations are not presented for the purpose of being conducted by persons unconnected to this Facility and/or persons not consulting with or being supervised by the recognized instructional support professional or physicist and his/her staff. The University is responsible only for those demonstrations carried out using its own equipment using established safety and scheduling policies, and bears no responsibility for those choosing to use this source material for their own purposes. All demonstrations described and contained herein are public domain, and can also be found in reference materials in libraries, bookstores, and electronic sources.

Further information regarding legal liability in use of demonstrations and labs will be found on the web site Injuries in School/College Laboratories in USA.

The University of Iowa Disclaimers:  University of Iowa Disclaimer All Rights Reserved..

Condition :   Excellent  
Principle :   Diffraction and Dispersion  
Area of Study :  Optics, Astronomy   
Equipment :   CD or DVD, Laser or Laser Pointer
  
Procedure :  

Shine the laser pointer on the CD at a very shallow angle, letting the reflection fall on the chalk board or onto a screen.  You should see at least 3 dots, which correspond to the 0th, 1st, and 2nd orders. 

The etched CD without the metal coating can be used for some transmission diffraction grating type demo's.

 

 

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   References

P. J. Ouseph, "CD Rainbows", TPT, Vol. 45, # 1, Jan. 2007, p. 11.

James L. Hunt, "Five Quantitative Physics Experiments (Almost) Without Special Apparatus", TPT, Vol. 43, # 7, Oct. 2005, p. 412.

 

Rajeev Khare, "Use of a CD as a Dispersive Element in a Turntable Dye Laser", AJP, Vol. 73, # 6, June 2005, p. 559.

 

Roman Ya. Kerzerashvili, "Abstract: Advanced Optics with Laser Pointer and Metersticks", 2005 Apparatus Competition, Salt Lake City, UT.

P. J. Ouseph, "Abstract: CD Rainbows, 2005 Apparatus Competition, Salt Lake City, UT.

"The Diffraction Grating", Selective Experiments in Physics, CENCO, 1962.

"Diffraction Grating, Simple", Selective Experiments in Physics, CENCO, 1959.

 



Mail Questions and Comments to:  Dale Stille