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EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE

First study the apparatus as it is actually set up and understand its operation. Questions are welcome. Then measure the path difference traveled by the two beams. A variety of devices can be procured for this task, depending on the accuracy you wish to obtain. You might first determine the accuracy with which you can measure time differences on the oscilloscope and, from that, determine how accurately you must measure the path difference.

The time measurement is to be made on an oscilloscope, utilizing the linear sweep speed of the horizontal trace. The oscilloscope can be set to display the waveform from both detectors on its screen, one above the other, like the figure at right. The time delay, , by which the lower wave is shifted is the delay caused by the longer travel path of the corresponding light beam. The measurement of is the crucial one in this experiment. To do this you can estimate the peak (or the valley) positions or, if the waves are centered vertically about an horizontal line on the scope face, the zero crossing points of the waves. To get from the oscilloscope, position the vertical cursors on the scope screen at the appropriate points on the waveforms and read the time difference directly from the scope display. The speed of light is then found from the measured path difference and the time difference .

The accepted value for the speed of light is m/sec. This is its speed in a vacuum. The index of refraction of air at one atmosphere is . Does your accuracy justify a correction for the index of refraction of air?



Nick Tufillaro
Mon Jul 31 18:04:31 PDT 1995