define path difference - Answers difference in distance travelled by two waves
define phase difference - Answers the fraction of a complete cycle between two points on a wave/
between 2 waves
what is a coherent source - Answers has same frequency and wavelength with a fixed phase difference
what is diffraction - Answers the spreading out of waves over a gap
how does increasing the wavelength of the source change the way it diffracts? - Answers increases the
amount of diffraction
central maximum becomes wider
intensity decreases
how does increasing the slit width of the source change the way it diffracts? - Answers decreases the
amount of diffraction
central maximum becomes narrower
intensity increases
what happens if the slit is made smaller than the wavelength of he source - Answers most of the waves
are reflected off of the slit
what is a diffraction grating - Answers a slide containing equally spaced slits, very close together.
what are the benefits to a diffraction grating - Answers produces a much sharper and brighter pattern
since more rays of light are reinforcing the pattern
so measurements are more accurate
Explain why more fringes will be seen if each of the slits is made narrower, assuming that no other
changes are made - Answers narrower slits make more diffraction
there will be more interference so more fringes are seen
the fringes will be the same width
if white light is used and you are looking at the 1st order fringe, what colour in the spectra will be closest
to the central maxima and what will be furtherst - Answers violet is closest because has shortest
wavelength and diffracts the least
therefore red will be furtherst since it has the longest wavelength
how are light fringes formed - Answers when the light meets in phase and interferes constructively .