Notes On Interference N Diffraction of Waves
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Hubbak KhanNotes On Interference N Diffraction of Waves
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Hubbak KhanWaves
A wave is a transfer of energy, in a form of a disturbance usually
through a material substance, or medium.
Electromagnetic Waves
Sound waves
Water waves
Pressure waves
Gravity waves
Matter waves
When objects repeat a pattern of motion (e.g. a pendulum), we say
that object is vibrating or oscillating.
The oscillation is repeated over and over with the same time interval
each time.
One complete oscillation is called a cycle.
The number of cycles per second is called the frequency, f. The
frequency is measured in Hertz (Hz).
The period , T, usually measured in seconds, is the time required for
one cycle. The frequency and period are reciprocals of each other.
Examples
1. A pendulum completes 30 cycles in 15 seconds. Calculate its
frequency and period.
2. What is the period of a pendulum that has a frequency of 10 Hz?
3. What is the frequency, in Hz, of the Earth’s orbit about the Sun?
Wave Motion & Terminology
Waves transmit energy, not matter.
It is a disturbance from some normal value of the medium that is
transmitted, not the medium itself.
These types of waves are called periodic waves; where the motions
are repeated at regular time intervals.
A single disturbance is called a pulse, or shock wave. Creating half of
a cycle results in a pulse.
Transverse Waves
The particles in the medium vibrate at right angles to the direction in
which the wave travels.
The high section is called the crest, and the low section is called the
trough.
The height of the crest, or depth of the trough, from the equilibrium
position is called the amplitude.
For periodic waves, the distance between successive crests and
troughs is equal and is called the wavelength. The symbol for the
wavelength is the Greek letter lambda, λ
The period of a transverse wave is the time it takes for one
wavelength (one cycle) to pass a fixed point.
The frequency is the number of wavelengths that passed a fixed point
in one second.
Examples include water waves and making vibrations on a rope.
Longitudinal Waves
The vibrations of the particles are parallel to the direction of motion.
There are a compressions and rarefactions created in longitudinal
waves.
One wavelength is the distance between the midpoints of successive
compressions or rarefactions.
The amplitude is the maximum displacement of the particles from
their rest position. Amplitude is a measure of the wave’s energy.
The period of a longitudinal wave is the time it takes for one
wavelength (one cycle) to pass a fixed point.
The frequency is the number of wavelengths that passed a fixed point
in one second.
Sound waves, pressure waves are examples.
Transmission of Waves
When a wave is generated in a spring or a rope, the wave travels a
distance of one wavelength, λ, along the rope in the time required for
one complete vibration of the source (the period). We can use the
formula for velocity to derive the wave equation:
Examples
1. The wavelength of a water wave in a ripple tank is 0.080 m. If the
frequency of the wave is 2.5 Hz, what is its speed?
2. The distance between successive crests in a series of water waves is
4.0 m, and the crests travel 9.0 m in 4.5 s. What is the frequency of
the waves?
3. The period of a sound wave from a piano is 1.18 × 10-2 s. If the
speed of the wave in air is 3.4 × 102 m/s, what is its wavelength?
Transmission and Reflection
• Waves travel at uniform speed as long as the medium they are in
does not change. (Note: If the tension changes, then that is a change
in medium.)
• When waves propagate into a different medium, the frequency stays
the same. The wave velocity changes.
• Thus, the wavelength must change as well. v is directly proportional
to λ
• Assuming a constant tension, a wave traveling from a light rope to a
heavier rope will decrease in velocity and decrease in wavelength.
• Conversely, a wave traveling from a heavy to light rope will increase
in both velocity and wavelength.
• The properties of transmitted waves can be derived because we
know the frequency is constant.
• Consider the following diagrams (we assume all energy is
transmitted):
Examples
1. A slinky is stretched and connected to a string. A wave travels at 3.5
m/s in the slinky. It is observed that the velocity in the string is 7.8
m/s.
(a) Find the transmitted wavelength, ë2, if the original wavelength was
0.24 m. What is the frequency of the original and transmitted wave?
(b) Suppose the transmitted wavelength was 0.92 m, what is the
original ë1?
• Waves that propagate and encounter a rigid barrier undergo fixed-
end reflection.
o The reflected wave/pulse will be inverted. A crest will become a
trough and vice-versa. Amplitude, velocity, and frequency will be
conserved in an ideal system (no loss of energy to outside forces, i.e.
friction).
• If there is no fixed boundary, the wave/pulse undergoes free-end
reflection.
o A crest will be reflected as a crest and a trough as a trough. All wave
properties will be conserved (ideally).
• Usually when waves propagate into another medium there is a
transmitted and reflected wave. This is called partial reflection.
o Some of the energy is transmitted, and some is reflected. Recall the
larger the amplitude, the more energy a wave has.
o There are two cases:
1. Fast to a slow medium.
The material in the slower medium has more inertia to resist the
motion of the wave. This acts like a rigid obstacle (fixed-end).
The reflected wave is inverted, but the transmitted wave (if any) is
not inverted.
2. Slow-to-fast medium
The fast medium acts like a free-end reflection. There is no inversion
in either the transmitted or reflected wave/pulse.
Recall there is a change in ë and v in both cases.
Transmission of Waves
Wave interference is when two or more waves act simultaneously on
the same particles of a medium.
Principle of Superposition: The resultant displacement of a given
particle is equal to the sum of the displacements that would have been
produced by each wave acting independently.
Constructive interference results when two of more waves interfere
to produce a resultant displacement greater than the displacement
caused by either wave itself.
Destructive Interference is when the resultant displacement is
smaller than the displacement that would be caused by one wave by
itself.
Standing Waves: Interference in One Dimension
Demo and discuss with use of slinky and/or string.
Computer simulations of the standing wave phenomenon.
Discuss how many nodes there may be and how to get the
wavelength from that information.
Standing Waves: Interference in One Dimension
A standing wave interference pattern occurs if interfering waves have
the same amplitude, wavelength, frequency, and are traveling in
opposite directions.
Called a standing wave for short.
The node, or nodal point, is where crests and troughs of equal
amplitude interfere destructively. For one-dimensional waves the fixed
ends are nodal points.
The antinodes, or loops, are areas of constructive interference.
The number of nodal points for a given medium depends on the
physical structure of that medium, thus only certain frequencies will
produce a standing wave pattern. Such frequencies are resonance
frequencies for that medium.
If one antinode were created with a certain frequency, say f1, then to
create two or three antinodes (etc.) the frequency would have to be
2f1, or 3f1 respectively. Note the decrease in amplitude as more
antinodes are created.
The distance between two successive nodes in a vibrating string is
½λ
The point of maximum displacement from a node is ¼λ
Examples
1. A standing wave interference pattern is produced in a rope by a
vibrator with a frequency of 45 Hz. If the wavelength is 55 cm, what is
the distance between successive nodes? What is the velocity of the
wave?
2. The distance between the first and sixth nodes in a standing wave is
75 cm. What is the wavelength of the waves? What is the velocity if
the source has a frequency of 12 Hz?
3. A standing wave pattern is produced. It is observed to have 10 loops
with a node at each end. The distance between the first and last node
is 75.0 cm and the waves have a velocity of 6.25 m/s. What frequency
is needed to observe four loops?
Diffraction and Interference of Waves
• When waves encounter a small hole in a barrier, they will not pass
right through.
• They bend around the edges of the barrier and form circular waves.
This is called diffraction.
• Diffraction can also occur around the edges of an obstacle in a waves
path.
The smaller the wavelength in comparison to the size of the obstacle,
the less the diffraction.
Consider a doorway. Small sound wave-lengths will be less diffracted
than longer sound wavelengths.
• Wave interference occurs when waves pass through two or more
holes in a barrier. Nodes and antinodes form at regular intervals (see
image on page 301 of text).
Light
Light is the range of frequencies (wavelengths) that can be seen with
the human eye. Light travels as an electromagnetic wave and can be
thought of as a packet of energy.
o For our purposes, we will use the properties of transverse waves to
describe light.
o The main difference is that energy light carries depends on it
wavelength (or frequency), not its amplitude.
o The science of astronomy/astrophysics is all based on observing the
EM spectrum that reaches the Earth.
We see only a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The EM
spectrum consists of radio, micro, infrared, visible (colour), ultraviolet,
X, and gamma rays.
Visual Spectrum (approximate)
o Red: 600 – 700 nm
o Yellow: 575 – 600 nm
o Green: 500 – 575 nm
o Blue: 425 – 500 nm
o Violet: 375 – 425 nm
