Wave Phenomena

• Define ray and wavefront.

Wavefronts are planes going through the wave crests and are perpendicular
to the direction of energy transfer.
Rays are at the right angle to the wavefronts and show the direction of wave
propagation.
o Define planar waves, circular waves and spherical waves and give
examples of each.
Planar waves are waves in which the wavefronts are flat and
propagate in straight lines, for instance, in an ocean or a laser.
Circular waves are waves propagating outwards from a central point
in a circular fashion, ripples on the water after throwing a stone into
it.
Spherical waves propagate in three dimensions, such as sound
travelling.

• Describe what happens when light is incident on the boundary between two
media.
Total internal reflection or reflection and refraction.
o State and explain the law of reflection.
The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.
o State and explain the law of refraction.
Refraction occurs when the wave travels to another medium, where it
has a different speed (if the medium has a different optical density),
causing a change in the direction of light.
 𝒔𝒊𝒏(𝜽𝟏 ) 𝒔𝒊𝒏(𝜽𝟐 )
=
𝒄𝟏 𝒄𝟐
▪ Why is the transmitted ray refracted?
Because the two media have different optical densities.
▪ Define index of refraction.
The index of refraction, n = c/c(in a medium), measures how
much a particular medium can change the speed of light as it
passes through it compared to the speed of light in vacuum.
▪ Use a wave simulator (e.g. http://www.falstad.com/ripple/) to
demonstrate refraction at a boundary.

• Explain the phenomenon of total internal reflection.

Total internal reflection occurs when the angle of an incident ray is greater
than the medium’s critical angle.
o Derive an expression for the critical angle for a particular boundary.
 𝒏𝟏 𝐬𝐢𝐧(𝜽𝟏 ) = 𝒏𝟐 𝐬𝐢𝐧(𝜽𝟐 ) (relationship between the angle of incidence
and the angle of reflection)
𝐬𝐢𝐧(𝜽𝟐 ) = 𝟏 𝒂𝒔 𝜽𝟐 = 𝟗𝟎°
𝒏𝟐
𝐬𝐢𝐧(𝜽𝟏 ) =
𝒏𝟏
𝒏𝟐
𝜽𝟏 = 𝐬𝐢𝐧−𝟏 ( )
𝒏𝟏
• Explain the principle of superposition.
When two or more waves of the same type arrive at a given point in space
at the same time, the displacement of the medium at that point is the
algebraic sum of the individual displacements.
• Describe reflection and transmission of a transverse wave pulse.
Reflection occurs when a wave pulse encounters a boundary and some or
all of the wave energy is sent back into the original medium.
Transmission happens when a wave pulse passes through the boundary and
enters a new medium.
• Describe the phenomenon of diffraction.
The spreading of a wave as it goes past an obstacle or through an aperture
is called diffraction.
o What is the diffraction criterion?
The distance between the wavefronts stays the same.
 o Use a wave simulator (e.g. http://www.falstad.com/ripple/) to
demonstrate diffraction.

• Describe the phenomenon of interference.

When two identical waves meet at the same point in space, the principle of
superposition states that the resulting wave has a displacement that is the
sum of the individual displacements. Thus, the resulting amplitude is
between 0 to twice the amplitude.
o What is the criterion for constructive interference and destructive
interference, respectively?
constructive interference: When the path difference from the two
sources to a point is 𝒏𝝀, when the waves meet in phase (crest to crest)
 destructive interference: When the path difference from the two
sources to a point is (𝒏 + 𝟎. 𝟓)𝝀, when the waves meet exactly out of
phase (crest to trough)

o Explain why interference is generally neither constructive nor destructive.

Waves almost never exactly meet crest to crest, trough to trough, or
crest to trough.
o What loudness (brightness) and tone (colour) would be heard (seen)
where two sound (light) waves display constructive and destructive
interference, respectively?
Constructive: increase in the loudness (brightness), more vivid and
perceptible tone (colour)
Destructive: decreased sound (brightness), muffled tone (colour).

o When are two sources coherent?

When they have a constant phase difference
 o Use a wave simulator (e.g. http://www.falstad.com/ripple/) to demonstrate
interference.

o Describe Young’s Double-Slit Experiment.

Plane wavefronts of light approach two extremely thin, parallel,
vertical slits. Because of diffraction, the wavefronts spread out from
each slit. Wavefronts from the slits arrive on a screen and interfere.
At those points where the path difference is an integral multiple of the
wavelength of the light, constructive interference takes place (𝒏𝝀), at
other points where the path difference is a half-integral multiple of 𝝀,
the screen looks dark: we have destructive interference.
• Explain why diffraction and interference are archetypical wave properties.
They illustrate wave behaviour that is unique to them. Diffraction is the
waves' bending around obstacles, a characteristic of the waves. Interference
is the interaction between two or more waves that results in constructive or
destructive interference, which is a property of waves.