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Physics Module 3B INTERFERENCE

This document discusses water waves and their properties. It covers reflection, refraction, and diffraction of water waves. Reflection occurs when a wave hits a boundary, and the incident wave is reflected at the same angle. Refraction occurs when a wave passes from one medium to another with a different wave speed, causing the wave direction to change. Diffraction gives waves a more circular pattern when passing through a narrow slit compared to a straight pattern through a wide slit. Interference occurs when two waves overlap and can be constructive, where wave peaks reinforce each other, or destructive, where peaks cancel troughs.

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49 views

Physics Module 3B INTERFERENCE

This document discusses water waves and their properties. It covers reflection, refraction, and diffraction of water waves. Reflection occurs when a wave hits a boundary, and the incident wave is reflected at the same angle. Refraction occurs when a wave passes from one medium to another with a different wave speed, causing the wave direction to change. Diffraction gives waves a more circular pattern when passing through a narrow slit compared to a straight pattern through a wide slit. Interference occurs when two waves overlap and can be constructive, where wave peaks reinforce each other, or destructive, where peaks cancel troughs.

Uploaded by

natural mystic
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Physics Module 3B

WATER Waves

Introduction

We have already being introduced to waves with wavelength, frequency and speed for which we
can describe these features. Now we examine waves on water. This feature is generally described
using a ripple tank. It is important to remember that a wave front is an imaginary line which joins
a set of particles which are in phase in a wave motion. Water waves and light waves similar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTD5DO5MMgA

For Reflection the incident wave is reflected at the same incoming angle in using a normal
reference line. Circular waves are reflected in the same manner, equally. Both straight and
circular the wave speed is the same.

For Refraction, waves travel slower in shallow water thus making a diffraction for which the
wave speeds are different and as seen the wavelength will be different as well.

There is a relation from the equation of the wave speed where v=ʎ f

In medium one wave speed v1 =ʎ 1 f

v1 ʎ 1
For medium two wave speed v 2=ʎ 2 f which gives a solution when combined as =
v2 ʎ 2

Here, the meeting of the two waves at the boundary is represented by a factor called the index of
refraction n ,which implies the amount of change in direction of the wave as it goes from one
medium to another, represented as

v1 ʎ 1
1 n2 = = the refractive index from medium 1 to medium 2
v2 ʎ 2

The index of refraction can also be calculated through the angles formed at the incident and
sin i(¿ medium1)
refracted waves 1 n2 =
sin r (¿ medium2)

Diffraction occurs based on the size of the opening in the slit. Small slit give more circular wave
front, while larger slit the wave front is almost straight with slight curvature. The greatest
amount of diffraction occurs when the slit’s width is the same as the wavelength of wave.
Interference of waves

When we have two point source is used it creates wave interference as the two fronts overlap.

(a) Waves from two small slit interference


(b) Waves from two point source
(c) Actual observation in the form of light source

Constructive interference (A) describes the feature of two waves in phase

(B) Destructive interference when waves are anti phase

(a) (b)

(a) wide slit (single) (b) narrow slit (single)

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