Two coherent laser beams—one red with wavelength 650nm and one blue with wavelength 450nm—are directed perpendicularly toward a single narrow slit of width 0.40mm. A viewing screen is placed 2.0m beyond the slit along the incident beam axis.
(a) Determine the linear distance on the screen between the central maximum and the first diffraction minimum for the red beam.
(b) Repeat the calculation for the blue beam.
(c) Based on your results, identify which color produces the sharper central bright region on the screen and justify your choice in terms of how wavelength influences diffraction.