A single slit of width 0.20mm is illuminated by monochromatic light of wavelength 500nm. A screen located 2.0m from the slit is not perfectly centered: its left edge is 3.0cm to the left of the central axis, while its right edge is 5.0cm to the right of the central axis.
(a) Determine the order numbers corresponding to the first diffraction minima that fall exactly on the left and right edges of the screen.
(b) Using the order numbers from part (a), calculate the total number of dark fringes that appear on the portion of the screen that is actually present.
(c) Provide a qualitative explanation for why the number of minima on the left half differs from the number on the right half, even though the slit and wavelength are the same for both sides.