WAVE OPTICS

Topic: Wave front & Huygens Principle

1. Sketch the emergent wavefront.

2. Draw the wavefront

(i)coming out from a convex lens when a point source of light is placed at its focus.
(ii)light diverging from a point source
(iii)the portion of a wavefront of light from a distant star intercepted by the earth.
3. Draw the diagrams to show the behavior of plane wavefronts as they
(i) pass through a thin prism
(ii)pass through a thin convex lens
(iii)reflect by a concave mirror

4. Use Huygens principle to verify the laws of refraction.

5. Use Huygens principle to verify the laws of reflection.

Topic: Interference & YDSE

(a) If both Assertion and Reason are correct and the Reason is a correct

explanation of the Assertion.

(b) If both Assertion and Reason are correct but Reason is not a correct

explanation of the Assertion.

(c) If the Assertion is correct but Reason is incorrect.

(d) If both the Assertion and Reason are incorrect.

6. Assertion : Thin film such as soap bubble or a thin layer of oil on water
show beautiful colours when illuminated by white light.

Reason : It happens due to the interference of light reflected from upper

and lower face of the thin film.

7. Assertion : No interference pattern is detected when two coherent sources

are infinitely close to each other.

Reason : The fringe width is inversely proportional to the distance

between the two sources.

8. Assertion : It is necessary to have two waves of equal intensity to study

interference pattern.
 Reason : There will be an effect on clarity if the waves are of unequal

intensity.

9. Assertion : White light falls on a double slit with one slit is covered by a
green filter. The bright fringes observed are of green colour.

Reason : The fringes observed are coloured.

10. Assertion : In Young’s double slit experiment if wavelength of incident

monochromatic light is just doubled, number of bright fringe on the

screen will increase.

Reason : Maximum number of bright fringe on the screen is inversely

proportional to the wavelength of light used

11. Assertion : In YDSE number of bright fringe or dark fringe can not be
unlimited

Reason : In YDSE path difference between the superposing waves can not

be more than the distance between the slits.(b)

12. Assertion : Interference pattern is made by using yellow light instead of

red light, the fringes becomes narrower.

Reason : In YDSE, fringe width is given by β=λD/d

13. In a double slit experiment, the distance between the slits is 3 mm and the slits are 2 m away
from the screen. Two interference patterns can be seen on the screen one due to light with
wavelength 480 nm, and the other due to light with wavelength 600 nm. What is the
separation on the screen between the fifth order bright fringes of the two interference
patterns?

14. Describe Young’s double slit experiment to produce interference pattern due to a
monochromatic source of light.
Derive the conditions for the constructive and destructive interference

15. Consider a two slit interference arrangements such that the distance of the screen from the
slits is half the distance between the slits.

Obtain the value of D in terms of λ such that the fist minima on the screen falls at a distance
D from the centre O.
16. In a Young’s double slit experiment, the two slits 0.15 mm apart are illuminated by
monochromatic light of wavelength 450 nm. The screen is 1.0 m away from the slits.

(i) Find the distance of the second

(a) Bright fringe
(b) Dark fringe from the central maximum
(ii) How will the fringe pattern change if the screen is moved away from the slits ?

17. The ratio of the intensities at minima and maxima in the Young’s double slit experiment is
9:25. Find the ratio of the widths of the two slits.

18. In a Young’s double-slit experiment, the slits are separated by 0.28 mm and the screen is
placed 1.4 m away. The distance between the central bright fringe and the fourth bright
fringe is measured to be 1.2 cm. Determine the wavelength of light used in the experiment.

19. A beam of light consisting of two wavelengths 800 nm and 600 nm is used to obtain the
interference fringes in a Young's double slit experiment on a screen placed 1.4 m away. If the
two slits are separated by 0.28 mm, calculate the least distance from the central bright
maximum where the bright fringes of the two wavelengths coincide.
20. A beam of light consisting of two wavelength, 650 nm and 520 nm is used to obtain
interference fringes in a YDSE.
What is the least distance from the central maximum where the bright fringes due to both
the wavelengths coincide.

21. In young’s double slit experiment using monochromatic light of wavelength λ, intensity at a
point on the screen where path difference is λ is K units . What is the intensity of light at a
point where path difference is λ/3?

22. Name the phenomenon which is responsible for bending of light around sharp corners of an
obstacle. Under what conditions does this phenomenon take place? Give one application of
this phenomenon in everyday life.
23.
 24. In a Young’s double slit experiment; the source of light consists of
wavelengths in the range 3000 – 8000 Å. The distance of the screen from slits
is 2 m and distance of separation between the two slits is 10-3 m.

Determine the wavelengths in the visible range (400 nm -700 nm) present at a
position that is 10-3 m from the central maxima.

Topic: Diffraction

25. Assertion : Diffraction takes place for all types of waves mechanical or
non-mechanical, transverse or longitudinal.

Reason : Diffraction’s effect are perceptible only if wavelength of wave is

comparable to dimensions of diffracting device.

26. Assertion (A): When monochromatic light passes through a narrow opening,
a pattern of alternate bright and dark fringes is produced.
Reason (R): The edges of the opening become sources of secondary waves,
which superpose to produce the pattern.
27. Name the phenomenon which is responsible for bending of light around sharp corners of an
obstacle. Under what conditions does this phenomenon take place? Give one application of
this phenomenon in everyday life.

28. A parallel beam of light of wavelength 500 nm falls on a narrow slit and the resulting
diffraction pattern is observed on a screen 1 m away. It is observed that the first minimum is
at a distance of 2.5 mm from the centre of the screen. Calculate the width of the slit.
 29. Yellow light (λ =6000 Ao) illuminates a single slit of width 1 X 10 -4 m. Calculate the distance
between two dark lines on either side to the central maximum, when the diffraction pattern
is viewed on a screen kept 1.5 m away from the slit.
30. A lamp sends out a plane wave through a slit of width 2 μm. The light from
the lamp is composed of two spectral lines of wavelengths D1 = 5896 Å and D2
= 5900 Å. Determine the distance between the first secondary maxima of
each of the spectral lines in the diffraction pattern formed on the screen that
is 2 m away from the slits.
31. Read the passage carefully and answer the questions given below.
Diffraction of incoming beams by an obstacle or aperture is convincing proof of
the wave nature of light. Diffraction takes place for all types of waves,
mechanical or non-mechanical, transverse or longitudinal. However, its effects
are perceptible only if the wavelength of radiation is comparable to the
dimensions of the diffracting device.

In the case of diffraction of light through apertures and obstacles instead of

sharp shadow or uniform illumination, we get a fringe pattern called a
diffraction pattern that depends on the nature of the diffracting device and the
wavelength of the incoming light used.

Given here is the representation of wavelengths of light waves in comparison to

the sizes of various objects

a. If the spacing of atoms in crystals is of the order of few Å, then can visible
light waves be used to study the arrangement of atoms in a crystal? Give reason.
b. Identify the waves that are most suitable for studying arrangements of atoms
in a crystal.
c. State true or false & give reason for your answer:
Both a clap sound and a radio electromagnetic wave can be heard or received
around the corner of a building. (Consider the wavelength of a clap to be about
0.1 m.)
d. In the single slit diffraction arrangement, how would the image on the screen
appear in case the wavelength λ of the incident light is much less than the
aperture width d?

32. In a single slit diffraction experiment, a slit of width d is illuminated by red light of
wavelength 650 nm. For what value of d will
(i) The first minima fall is at an angle of diffraction of 30 o and
(ii) The first maximum fall is at an angle of diffraction of 30 o.