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DSC Waves and Optics

The document outlines the core course 'Waves and Optics' in the Physics curriculum, detailing its credit distribution, learning objectives, and outcomes. It covers topics such as harmonic oscillations, wave phenomena including interference and diffraction, and includes a practical component with laboratory experiments. The syllabus is structured into theory and practical components, supported by essential and additional readings.

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60 views3 pages

DSC Waves and Optics

The document outlines the core course 'Waves and Optics' in the Physics curriculum, detailing its credit distribution, learning objectives, and outcomes. It covers topics such as harmonic oscillations, wave phenomena including interference and diffraction, and includes a practical component with laboratory experiments. The syllabus is structured into theory and practical components, supported by essential and additional readings.

Uploaded by

Aliza Jasmine
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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DISCIPLINE SPECIFIC CORE COURSE – PHYSICS DSC 7:

WAVES AND OPTICS

Course Title Credit distribution of the course Pre-requisite of


Credits
& Code Lecture Tutorial Practical the course
Waves and
Optics
4 2 0 2 --
PHYSICS
DSC 7

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
This is a core course in Physics curriculum that begins with explaining ideas of superposition
of harmonic oscillations leading to physics of travelling and standing waves. The course also
provides an in depth understanding of wave phenomena of light, namely, interference and
diffraction with emphasis on practical applications of the same.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
On successfully completing the requirements of this course, the students will have the skill
and knowledge to,
• Understand simple harmonic oscillation and superposition principle.
• Understand superposition of a range of collinear and mutually perpendicular simple
harmonic motions and their applications.
• Understand concept of normal modes in stationary waves: their frequencies and
configurations.
• Understand interference as superposition of waves from coherent sources derived from
same parent source.
• Demonstrate understanding of interference experiments: Young’s double slit, Fresnel’s
biprism, Llyod’s mirror, Newton’s rings
• Demonstrate basic concepts of diffraction: Superposition of wavelets diffracted from
apertures
• Understand Fraunhoffer diffraction from apertures: single slit, double Slit, grating
• Demonstrate fundamental understanding of Fresnel diffraction: Half period zones,
diffraction of different apertures
• Laboratory course is designed to understand the principles of measurement and skills in
experimental designs.

SYLLABUS OF PHYSICS DSC – 7

THEORY COMPONENT

Unit – I (11 Hours)


Superposition of collinear harmonic oscillations: Simple harmonic motion (SHM); linearity
and superposition principle; superposition of two collinear oscillations having (1) equal
frequencies and (2) different frequencies (beats).
Superposition of two perpendicular harmonic oscillations: Graphical and analytical methods.

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Lissajous figures with equal and unequal frequencies and their uses
Superposition of two harmonic Waves: Standing (stationary) waves in a string; normal modes
of stretched strings

Unit – II (8 Hours)
Interference: Division of amplitude and division of wavefront; Young’s double slit
experiment: width and shape of fringes; Fresnel’s biprism; Lloyd’s mirror; Phase change on
reflection: Stokes’ treatment; Interference in thin films: parallel and wedge-shaped films.
Fringes of equal inclination (Haidinger fringes); Fringes of equal thickness (Fizeau Fringes);
Newton’s rings: Measurement of wavelength and refractive index

Unit – III (11 Hours)


Diffraction:
Fraunhofer diffraction: Single slit, double slit, diffraction grating
Fresnel diffraction: Fresnel’s assumptions. Fresnel’s half-period zones for plane wave.
Explanation of rectilinear propagation of light; Fresnel’s diffraction pattern of a straight edge,
a slit and a wire using half-period zone analysis

References:
Essential Readings:
1) Vibrations and Waves, A. P. French, 1st edition, 2003, CRC press.
2) The Physics of Waves and Oscillations, N. K. Bajaj, 1998, Tata McGraw Hill.
3) Waves: Berkeley Physics Course, vol. 3, Francis Crawford, 2007, Tata McGraw-Hill.
4) Fundamental of Optics, A. Kumar, H. R. Gulati and D. R. Khanna, 2011, R. Chand
Publications.
5) Optics, A. Ghatak, 6th edition, 2017, McGraw-Hill Education, New Delhi
6) The Physics of Vibrations and Waves, H. J. Pain, 2013, John Wiley and Sons.

Additional Readings:
1) Principles of Optics, M. Born and E. Wolf, 7th edition, 1999, Pergamon Press.
2) Optics, E. Hecht, 4th edition, 2014, Pearson Education.
3) Fundamentals of Optics, F. A. Jenkins and H. E. White, 1981, McGraw-Hill

PRACTICAL COMPONENT

(15 Weeks with 4 hours of laboratory session per week)

At least 7 experiments to be performed from the following list

1) To determine the frequency of an electric tuning fork by Melde’s experiment and verify
λ2–T law.
2) To study Lissajous figures.
3) Familiarization with Schuster`s focusing and determination of angle of prism.
4) To determine refractive index of the material of a prism using sodium light.
5) To determine the dispersive power and Cauchy’s constants of the material of a prism
using mercury light.
6) To determine wavelength of sodium light using Fresnel biprism.
7) To determine wavelength of sodium light using Newton’s rings.
8) To determine the thickness of a thin paper by measuring the width of the interference

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fringes produced by a wedge-shaped Film.
9) To determine wavelength of (1) Na source and (2) spectral lines of Hg source using plane
diffraction grating.
10) To determine dispersive power and resolving power of a plane diffraction grating.

References for laboratory work:


1) Advanced Practical Physics for students, B. L. Flint and H. T. Worsnop, 1971, Asia
Publishing House
2) A Text Book of Practical Physics, I. Prakash and Ramakrishna, 11th edition, 2011, Kitab
Mahal
3) Advanced level Physics Practicals, M. Nelson and J. M. Ogborn, 4th edition, reprinted
1985, Heinemann Educational Publishers
4) A Laboratory Manual of Physics for undergraduate classes, D. P. Khandelwal, 1985, Vani
Pub.
5) B.Sc. Practical Physics, G. Sanon, 2019, R. Chand & Co

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