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Unit 13 Superposition

The document discusses wave motion, including definitions of wave pulse, mechanical and electromagnetic waves, and sound waves. It explains the superposition of waves, diffraction, and interference, detailing conditions for constructive and destructive interference. Additionally, it covers Young's double slit experiment and diffraction gratings, highlighting the relationship between phase difference and path difference in wave phenomena.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
3 views37 pages

Unit 13 Superposition

The document discusses wave motion, including definitions of wave pulse, mechanical and electromagnetic waves, and sound waves. It explains the superposition of waves, diffraction, and interference, detailing conditions for constructive and destructive interference. Additionally, it covers Young's double slit experiment and diffraction gratings, highlighting the relationship between phase difference and path difference in wave phenomena.

Uploaded by

Sumayya P A
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Can you recall ?

1. What is wave motion?


2. What is a wave pulse?
3. What are common properties of waves?
4. What happens when a wave propagates?
5. What are mechanical waves?
6. What are electromagnetic waves?
7. How are mechanical waves different from
electromagnetic waves?
8. What are sound waves?
Superposition of Waves
‘’when two or more waves, travelling through a medium, pass
through a common point, each wave produces its own
displacement at that point, independent of the presence of the
other wave. The resultant displacement at that point is equal to
the vector sum of the displacements due to the individual wave
at that point.’’
Special cases:
(i)If

(ii)If

Intensities of the wave


Superposition
Diffraction
Diffraction occurs when waves spread out after passing
through a gap or going around an obstacle. The waves
energy also spreads out.
Sea wave diffraction
Diffraction

Gap <<   Little energy can pass through.


Gap    Diffraction effects are greatest.
Gap >>   Diffraction occurs only at the edges.
Considering this, think of some situations where
diffraction is likely to occur and where it is not likely to
 Diffraction increases when the size of the gap or
obstacle is reduced compared with the
wavelength of the wave.

 The wavelength of light is about 0.0005mm, so


light diffraction is only noticeable with very small
apertures or where an image is highly magnified.

 Diffraction is more significant with low frequency,


long wavelength
Diffraction - Simulation waves like radio waves.
Explanation of diffraction based on
wavefront
 Huygen's principle :
It states that each point of the wavefront is the source of the secondary wavelets which
spread out in all direction with the speed of a wave. So if we consider a point source, it will
emit its wavefront and nature of the wavefront will be spherical one.
 A surface tangent to the wavelets constitutes the new wave front and is called
the envelope of the wavelets.

 Simulation
Interference Of Waves

Interference - Simulation
Interference Of Waves
 Coherent Source:

 The source which emits waves with the same frequency, wavelength
and phase or having a constant phase difference is known as a
coherent source.

Interference - Simulation
Conditions for constructive and
destructive interference
 Superposition:

Interference - Simulation
Phase difference and path
difference:
 The temporal period by which one wave leads or lags another is defined as the
phase difference. It is important to emphasize that phase difference is a relative
attribute of two or more waves, not just one.
 The path difference between any two waveforms is the distance they traverse. It
is the difference in distance between the source and the observer. The path
difference is often used to determine both constructive and destructive wave
interference.
Relation between Phase Difference and Path Difference
 For any two waves of the same frequency, the phase difference and path
difference are connected as-.
 Phase Difference = (2π * path difference)/wavelength

Double Source Interference Superposition Experiments Path Difference of Waves Path Difference
When the sources are in phase : When the sources are out of
phase:

Constructive interference: Constructive interference:

Destructive interference :
Phase difference and path difference:

 If the path difference between two waves is an integral multiple of the


wavelength, the requirement for constructive interference is met.
 If the path difference between two waves is an odd multiple of half
wavelength, the requirement for destructive interference is satisfied.
Young’s Double slit experiment:

DOUBLE SLIT-SIMULATION

FIRST ORDER MAXIMA

SCREEN
Relation between a,D,x and λ:
Path difference = a sin θ

Path difference

FIRST ORDER MAXIMA

SCREEN
Diffraction grating:

Path difference

FIRST ORDER MAXIMA

SCREEN
Diffraction grating:

Path difference

FIRST ORDER MAXIMA

SCREEN
Diffraction grating:

Path difference

FIRST ORDER MAXIMA

SCREEN
Two types
1. Transmission grating
2. Reflection grating
Diffraction white light:
Diffraction of white light:
https://www.walter-fendt.de/html5/phen/standingwavereflection_en.htm

https://www.geogebra.org/m/kmpdntk6

Phase Difference on a Stationary Wave – GeoGebra

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