In the summer of 1972, I attended the workshop on recreating classic experiments in physics at Barnard College.1 This was developed by Samuel Devons, and it was a defining experience that set me toward a research career involving early physics teaching apparatus. During the course of the workshop, I became curious about the original diffraction gratings developed by Fraunhofer and built a wire diffraction. A short note about the gratings was published in the American Journal of Physics the next year.2
REFERENCES
1.
Samuel
Devons
and Lillian
Hartman
, “A history-of-physics laboratory
,” Phys. Today
23
, 44
–49
and cover (February 1970
).2.
Thomas B.
Greenslade
Jr., “Wire diffraction gratings
,”Am. J. Phys.
41
, 730
–731
(1973
).3.
The nuts and bolts were obtained from Micro-Mark (http://www.micromark.com). The price is about $3.00 for a package of 10 items.
4.
George Sweetnam, “Diffraction grating and ruling engine,” in Instruments of Science, edited by Robert Bud and Deborah Jean Warner (Garland Publishing, New York, 1998), pp. 171–173.
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© 2004 American Association of Physics Teachers.
2004
American Association of Physics Teachers
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