Polarisation

1 (a) Distinguish between unpolarised light and plane-polarised light.

(b) When two polarisers P and Q are placed so that their polarising directions are parallel, the
amplitude of the emergent beam is A. Through what angle must Q be rotated so that the amplitude
𝐴
of the emergent beam is reduced to 2 ?

(c) Plane-polarised radio waves are transmitted by a vertical aerial. The amplitude of the waves is
A when they reach a receiving aerial which is tilted from the vertical at an angle θ in the plane
perpendicular to the direction of arrival. The power received is proportional to……………………

(d) An unpolarised light of intensity (I0) passes through two successive polaroids (P1 and P2), and
corresponding intensities of light coming out from them (I1 and I2) clearly distinguish the difference
between (I1) and (I2).

(e) What is the necessary condition to get maximum intensity after passing through two successive
polaroids?

(f) An unpolarised light passes through two successive polaroids (P1 and P2); the polaroid
P1 makes an angle θ with the axis of the polaroid P2. Find out the intensity final outcoming light.
And if θ is varied from 0 to 360, plot the intensity variation graph.
(g) Unpolarized light of intensity 𝐼0 is incident on a polarizer. The transmitted light is then incident
on a second polarizer. The axis of the second polarizer makes an angle of 60° to the axis of the
first polarizer. Calculate the fraction of intensity transmitted.

(h) Unpolarized light of intensity 𝐼 is passed through two polarizing filters. If the axes of
transmission for the two filters are at 40° to each other, (i) what is the light intensity between the
filters? (ii) What light intensity is transmitted by the second filter?

(i) Unpolarized light is incident upon two polarization filters that do not have their transmission
axes aligned. If 21% of the light passes through, what is the measure of the angle between the
transmission axes of the filters?

2 Polarised light with an intensity of 60 mWm-2 passes through an analysing filter at an angle of
72° to the plane of the incident light. Calculate the intensity of the light as it passes through the
polarising filter.

3 At what angle must an analysing filter be orientated at for the intensity of the light to be 50% of
its original intensity?

4 A student placed two polarising filters together to reduce the intensity of light passing through
them. They were originally placed at an angle of 10° and the student still wanted to reduce the
intensity of the light. At what angle should the student place the analysing filter if they want the
1
light intensity to be 5 of the intensity when the angle was 10°?

5 Unpolarised light is incident on a polariser.

The light transmitted by the first polariser is then incident on a second polariser.
The polarizing (or transmission) axis of the second polariser is 30° to that of the first.
The intensity incident on the first polariser is 𝐼.
What is the intensity emerging from the second polariser? (0.375 𝐼)
6 An Unpolarised The light of intensity (I0) passes through three successive polaroids P1, P2 and P3.
The polarisation axes of P1 make an angle of 60° with P2, and P2 makes an angle of 30° with P3.
Then, what are the corresponding intensity outcomes from P 1, P2 and P3 (I1, I2 and I3)?
1 Which of the following phenomena does not occur with sound waves?
A diffraction B interference C polarisation D refraction

2 A source of unpolarised light is viewed through two crossed polarising filters X and Y.

Which row in the table correctly describes the light emerging from the two filters?

Light emerging from filter X Light emerging from filter Y

A oscillates in every direction oscillates in one direction
B oscillates in every direction no light
C oscillates in one direction oscillates in one direction
D oscillates in one direction no light

3 Light from a lamp passes through two polarising filters, P1 and P2, before reaching a detector.
The filters initially have their planes of polarisation parallel.
The intensity of light at the detector will be greatest if

A P1 is rotated by 45° and P2 is rotated by 315° in the same direction.

B P1 is rotated by 90° and P2 is rotated by 270° in the same direction.
C P1 is rotated by 45° and P2 is rotated by 270° in the same direction.
D P1 is rotated by 90° and P2 is rotated by 315° in the same direction.
Two-source Interference
1 A helium laser with a wavelength of 633 nm was used by a teacher to demonstrate double-slit
interference with a pair of slits of spacing 0.50 mm. If the teacher wanted the fringe separation on
the screen to be 1.0 cm, how far away from the slits would he have to put the screen? (ans: 7.9 m)
2 Monochromatic laser light was directed at some double slits and an interference pattern was
observed on a screen placed 4.78 m from the slits. The distance between the centre of a bright
fringe and the centre of another, eight fringes away, was 5.8 cm. If the slit separation was 0.33
mm, calculate the wavelength of the radiation. (ans: 500 nm)

3 A Young’s slit experiment uses light of wavelength 600 nm.

(a) Explain why laser light is often used for Young’s slit experiments.
(b) If the two slits are 0.2 mm apart, and the screen is 3.0 m away, calculate the separation of the
fringes. (c) What changes could be made to increase the separation of the fringes?

4 A microwave transmitter transmits waves with a wavelength of 2.8 cm through slits in a metal plate
that are 5.8 cm apart. A probe is placed 30 cm from the slits and detects regions of high and low
intensity. Calculate the separation of the regions of high intensity.
5 In a Young’s slit experiment, a student measures the separation between six bright fringes to
be 3.0 mm. The light used in the experiment has a wavelength of 600 nm, and the slits are
placed 36 cm from the screen. Calculate the slit separation.

6 The girl shown in the diagram found that when she moved in the direction shown by the arrows,
there was approximately 50 cm between successive positions where the sound was loud. The
speakers were 120 cm apart and her closest distance to point P was 80 cm. Estimate the
approximate wavelength and frequency of the sources. (ans 60 cm and 600 Hz)

7 (a) Explain why the sound heard by the student rises and falls in intensity in the diagram.
(b) Estimate an approximate value for the sound frequency that would be needed for the maxima
to be heard every metre along the path shown.
(c) Is it possible for the sound intensity to be reduced to zero at any location (assume that both
speakers produce sound of the same intensity)?

8 An observer stands halfway between two speakers facing each other and he hears a loud
sound of frequency 240 Hz. (a) Explain why the intensity of the sound decreases if he walks slowly
in any direction. (b) What is the shortest distance he would have to move to hear the sound rise to
a maximum again? (The speed of sound in air = 340 m s–1.) (ans 71 cm)
9 In the diagram, the centres of the slits were 6 cm apart. (a) Suggest why the width of the two slits
was chosen to be about the same size as the wavelength. (b) The receiver detected a maximum
signal when it was 45 cm from one slit and 57 cm from the other. Suggest possible values for the
wavelength of the microwaves. (c) How could you determine the actual wavelength?

Standing Waves

1 The diagram shows, at a given instant, the shape of the

stretched string on which a stationary wave has been
produced. (a) State the phase difference between the
oscillations of the particles at: (i) W and Y; (ii) Y and Z in
the stationary wave. (b) State which of the particles are at:
(i) a node; (ii) an antinode.

2 The air in the open pipe shown in the diagram is made to

vibrate at the lowest resonance frequency (fundamental
frequency) of the pipe. Describe the similarities and differences in
the displacement of the air molecules at points:
(a) P and S (b) P and Q (c) P and R.

3 One end of a string is tied to a fixed support at X and the

other to a weight. The string passes over a pulley and
hangs vertically. The string is set in motion so that it
vibrates at a frequency of 180 Hz, as shown in the
diagram. (a) What is the lowest possible (fundamental)
frequency of vibration of the string? (b) The length of the vibrating string is reduced to two-thirds
by moving the pulley towards X. What is the new fundamental frequency of vibration? Give your
reasoning.

4 A string has a length of 1.2 m and the speed of transverse waves on it is 8.0 m s–1.
(a) What is the wavelength of the first harmonic? (b) Draw sketches of the first four harmonics.
(c) What is the frequency of the third harmonic?

5 A and B are two similar pipes of the same length. A is closed at one end, but B is open at both
ends. If the frequency of the first harmonic of A is 180 Hz, what is the frequency of the first
harmonic of B? (ans: 360 Hz)

6 An organ pipe which was open at both ends had a first harmonic frequency of 80 Hz. What
would be the first harmonic frequency of a pipe of the same length which was open at one end a
closed at the other?

7 What length must an organ pipe (open at one end) have if it is to produce a first harmonic of
frequency 90 Hz? (Use speed of sound = 340 m s–1) (ans: 0.94 m)
8 The diagram shows a demonstration of standing waves in air in a long tube. To begin with a
powder was spread along the tube, but when a certain frequency was produced by the
loudspeaker the powder moved into piles as shown.
(a) What do the red lines represent? (b) Explain why the powder moves into piles marked N.
(c) Which harmonic is shown in the figure? (d) If the frequency used in the demonstration shown in
the diagram was 6.75 kHz and the piles of powder were 2.5 cm
apart, what was the speed of the sound waves? (ans: 338 ms-1)

9 Water is draining from a vertical tube that was initially full. A

vibrating tuning fork is held near the top of the tube. For two
positions of the water surface only, the sound is at its maximum
loudness. The distance between the two positions of maximum
loudness is x. What is the wavelength of the sound emitted by the
tuning fork?

10 tuning fork of 440 Hz is struck and held over a tube that is

closed at one end. When the tube is lengthened to 18 cm, a
maximum loudness is heard. This occurs again when the tube is
lengthened to 54 cm. Calculate: (a) the wavelength of the sound
wave (b) the speed of sound in air.

11 A standing wave is set up by reflecting a sound of frequency 1200 Hz from a laboratory wall.
The distance between four successive nodes is 42 cm. Calculate the speed of sound in the
laboratory.

Superposition

1 The diagram shows two idealized pulses on a stretched rope moving towards
each other. Use the principle of superposition to draw the waves after (a) 2 s (b) 2.5 s (c) 4 s.

2 (a) On the same displacement–time axes (0–2 s), carefully sketch two sinusoidal waveforms to
represent: (i) a wave of amplitude 3.0 cm and frequency 2 Hz, (ii) a wave of amplitude 2.0 cm and
frequency 1 Hz. (b) Use the principle of superposition to sketch how these two waves would
combine if they met at a point.

3 The diagram below shows two waves approaching each other on a string. Describe the
displacement of the string at points A and B over the next 5 seconds.
Diffraction Grating

1 (a) Calculate the angle of a third order maximum for light of wavelength 500 nm passing through
a diffraction grating with 600 lines per mm. (ans: 64 )
(b) Light of wavelength 500 nm passes through a diffraction grating with 500 lines per nm.
Calculate the angle for the second order maximum seen for the light. (ans: 30)
(c) Calculate the spacing of a diffraction grating when the angle of a second order maximum for
light (λ = 400 nm) is 20°. (ans: 2.3 m)

2 A diffraction grating has 400 lines per mm. White light is shone through the grating.
a) Describe the diffraction pattern produced by this grating.
There is a second order maximum for red light of wavelength 690 nm at the same angle as a
third order maximum for blue light of wavelength 460 nm.
b) Calculate this angle.
c) How many orders of the blue light and how many orders of the red light does this grating
produce?

3 Monochromatic light of shines on a diffraction grating. Describe and explain two ways that the
pattern of maximum intensities changes as the wavelength increases. (b) Calculate the
wavelength of light for 3rd order fringes. The spacing of the grating is 1 × 10−6 m and one sharp
maximum is seen at a diffraction angle of 70°.

4 A grating with slit separation of 2 × 10−6 m is used analyse a helium spectrum. A blue line and a
red line are observed very close to each other at 42°. What order are these lines? (Range of
red light is 645 nm to 700 nm; range of blue light is 440 nm to 490 nm.)

5 A grating has 300 lines per mm and is used with a laser that emits light of wavelength 700 nm.
(a) What is the slit spacing of the grating?
(b) If the light is incident at right angles, how many orders of diffraction are visible and in what
directions do they occur?

6 A first order line in a line spectrum is seen on a screen 9.8 cm from the centre of the pattern
produced by a diffraction grating with 300 lines mm−1. If the screen was 0.76 m from the grating,
determine the wavelength of the light.

7 A narrow beam of laser light of wavelength 630 nm is incident on a grating having 300 lines per
millimetre. A piece of paper is curved through 180° beyond the grating to act as a screen.
Calculate how many spots of red light will be seen on the paper. (ans 11 spots)

The string is at A at its equilibrium position for one second then both waves arrive in phase and the string
starts moving down. It reaches a maximum negative displacement of 2 m at 1.5 s. The string then moves
up through the equilibrium position, reaching its maximum positive displacement of 2 m at 2.5 s. The string
then moves down again for 1 s, then up for 1 s, then down for 0.5 s. It reaches the equilibrium position
after 5 s.

The wave from the right arrives at B after 0.5 s and the string begins to move down. The wave from the left
arrives after 1.5s out of phase with the wave from the right. The string returns to, and remains at its
equilibrium position while the wave from the left and the wave from the right superpose. After 4.5 s, only
the wave from the left is passing point B, and the string moves up and then reverts to the equilibrium
position at 5s
The time base setting on an oscilloscope is set at 5 ms cm −1. Three full wave oscillations are
displayed over a distance of 12 cm on the screen. Find: (a) the time period, T, (b) the frequency, f.

Sketch what you would observe on an oscilloscope screen for a sound wave of frequency 1600 Hz
if the time base setting is 0.1 ms cm−1. The screen is 10 cm wide. Find the percentage uncertainty
in the value for frequency, if a waveform displayed on the oscilloscope screen in question 5 has a
wavelength of 7.1 cm.