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Hair Diameter from Laser Fringes

Calculate hair diameter from laser fringes with local equations, selectable units and supported inverse relationships.

  • Formula & worked example
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Calculator inputs

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How to use this calculator

  1. Enter the known values in the units shown. Results update as you type.
  2. Where results are editable, change one to solve backwards. Lock a value to hold it fixed.
  3. Use the worked example to check the method. Reset restores the starting fields.

Private by default

Inputs and results stay in this browser tab. Bookify does not upload or store the values you enter.

Formula and method

w = 100. Values use the worked example unit selections.

w = nλD/x

Worked example

Enter these known values and leave the other values blank.

Distance to wall (D)
2 m
Dark spots from the center
1
Wavelength of the laser (λ)
500 nm
Distance to dark spot (x)
1 cm
Width of the hair (w)
100 μm

Assumptions and limitations

  • Use monochromatic light and small diffraction angles. The dark-minimum order n is a positive integer; x measures from the central maximum to that minimum.
  • Unit selectors convert known physical quantities. Leave a supported unknown blank; derived inverse branches are limited by the stated model and available captured equations.

Common questions

What does this calculation assume?

Use monochromatic light and small diffraction angles. The dark-minimum order n is a positive integer; x measures from the central maximum to that minimum.

Can I solve for an input?

Where the captured model supplies an inverse, leave that quantity blank and enter the remaining known quantities. A positive square-root or principal trigonometric inverse may represent only one of multiple mathematical branches.

Which unit should I use for the worked example?

The example uses the initial metric unit selection beside each field. Change a unit using its selector to convert the same known quantity; switching a unit does not change the underlying physical value.

References

Original accessible explanations preserve the captured diagram geometry, quantities and conditional variants without external image loading. Restrict the physical model to non-singular dimensions and stated principal inverse branches; discrete gear/fringe counts are exact integers.

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