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Representation of Diffraction by Vector Summation
Representation of Diffraction by Vector Summation
The method applied here to calculate the intensity distribution of the one-slit diffraction is based on Richard P. Feynman's concept of integrating over paths. Each path contributes a vector with an angle corresponding to the length of the path. The sum of all the vectors gives the amplitude and the square of the amplitude of the intensity at a given point on the screen. You can observe how the changes of the intensity develop from the addition of vectors.
The accuracy of the calculated intensity depends on the number of paths. Here there are slight differences to the theoretical values of the Fraunhofer diffraction, but this is balanced here by geometrical clarity. The method offers a comprehensive approach and can be easily verified with comparatively little mathematical effort.