Heidelberg 2022 – scientific programme

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GP: Fachverband Geschichte der Physik

GP 2: History and Teaching

GP 2.2: Talk

Monday, March 21, 2022, 15:50–16:10, GP-H7

Bringing some light into the dark and some darkness into light: Young's double-slit experiment (1807) — •Michelle Mercier — Europa-Universität Flensburg

In 1807, Thomas Young published the description of an experiment that is nowadays canonized as Young's double-slit experiment. Today, the basic principle of the experiment is well-known, however, the experiment performed by Young is not. And if one goes back to the initial description, his text is difficult to understand and leaves several questions unanswered both in respect to the details of the apparatus he used and the exact observations in his experiment.

As part of my PhD project, Young's double-slit experiment is analyzed by using the replication method. In this talk, I will describe the experiences made (experimentally) and focus in particular on the difficulties in observing as well as documenting and communicating what is seen. The meaning of the experiences made for the understanding of Young's description of the experiment will be discussed in conclusion.