Wave Optics

1. In a Young's double slit experiment, slits are separated by 0.5 mm and the screen is placed
150 cm away. A beam of light consisting of two wavelengths, 650 nm and 520 nm, is used to
obtain interference fringes on the screen. The least distance from the common central
maximum to the point where the bright fringes due to both the wavelengths coincide, is
(2017)
(a) 7.8 mm
(b) 9.75 mm
(c) 15.6 mm
(d) 1.56 mm

2. Two coherent point sources S 1 and S2 are separated by a small distance d as shown. The fringes
obtained on the screen will be (2013)

(a) points
(b) straight lines
(c) semi-circle
(d) concentric circles

3. A beam of unpolarised light of intensity I 0 is passed through a polaroid A and then through
another polaroid B which is oriented so that its principal plane makes an angle of 45° relative to
that of A. The intensity of the emergent light is (2013)
(a) I 0
(b) I 0 / 2
(c) I 0 / 4
(d) I 0 / 8

4. A Young's double slit experiment is carried out by using green, red and blue light, one colour
at a time. The fringe widths recorded are  G ,  R and  B respectively. Then, (2012)
(a) G   B   R
(b)  B  G   R
(c)  R   B  G
(d)  R  G   B
5. A biconvex lens of focal length f forms a circular image of radius r of sun in the focal plane.
Then which option is correct? (2006)
(a)  r  f
2

(b)  r 2  f 2
(c) If lower half part is converted by black sheet, then area of the image is equal to  r 2 / 2
(d) If f is doubled, intensity will increase

6. In Young's double slit experiment, the intensity at a point is (1/4) of the maximum intensity.
Angular position of this point is (2005)

(a) sin −1  
d 
  
(b) sin −1  
 2d 
  
(c) sin −1  
 3d 
  
(d) sin −1  
 4d 

7. In a YDSE, .bi-chromatic light of wavelengths 400 nm and 560 nm are used. The distance
between the slits is 0.1 mm and the distance between the plane of the slits and the screen is 1 m.
The minimum distance between two successive regions of complete darkness is (2004)
(a) 4 mm
(b) 5.6 mm
(c) 14 mm
(d) 28 mm

8. In the adjacent diagram, CP represents a wavefront and AO and BP, the corresponding two rays.
Find the condition of  for constructive interference at P between the ray BP and reflected ray OP
(2003)

3
(a) cos  =
2d
 
(b) cos  =
4d

(c) sec  − cos  =
d
4
(d) sec  − cos  =
d

9. In the ideal double-slit experiment, when a glass-plate (refractive index 1.5) of thickness
t is introduced in the path of one of the interfering beams (wavelength ), the intensity at the
position where the central maximum occurred previously remains unchanged. The minimum
thickness of the glass-plate is (2002)
(a) 2
2
(b)
3

(c)
3
(d) 

10. In a Young's double slit experiment, 12 fringes are observed to be formed in a certain segment
of the screen when light of wavelength 600 nm is used. If the wavelength of light is changed to
400 nm, number of fringes observed in the same segment of the screen is given by (2001)
(a) 12
(b) 18
(c) 24
(d) 30

11. Two beams of light having intensities I and 4I interfere to produce a fringe pattern on a screen.
The phase difference between the beams is  / 2 at point A and  at point B. Then the difference
between the resultant intensities at A and B is (2001)
(a) 2I
(b) 4I
(c) 5I
(d) 7I

12. In a double slit experiment instead of taking slits of equal widths, one slit is made twice as
wide as the other, then in the interference pattern (2000)
(a) the intensities of both the maxima and the minima increase
(b) the intensities of the maxima increase, and the minima have zero intensity
(c) the intensities of maxima decrease, and that of minima increase
(d) the intensities of maxima decrease, and the minima have zero intensity
13. A thin slice is cut out of a glass cylinder along a plane parallel to its axis. The slice is placed
on a flat plate as shown. The observed interference fringes from this combination shall be (1999)

(a) straight
(b) circular
(c) equally spaced
(d) having fringe spacing which increases as we go outwards

14. Yellow light is used in a single slit diffraction experiment with slit width of 0.6 mm. If yellow
light is replaced by X-rays, then the observed pattern will reveal (1999)
(a) that the central maximum is narrower
(b) more number of fringes
(c) less number of fringes
(d) no diffraction pattern

15. A parallel monochromatic beam of light is incident normally on a narrow slit. A diffraction
pattern is formed on a screen placed perpendicular to the direction of the incident beam. At the
first minimum of the diffraction pattern, the phase difference between the rays coming from the
two edges of the slit is (1998)
(a) zero
(b)  / 2
(c) 
(d) 2

16. A narrow slit of width 1 mm is illuminated by monochromatic light of wavelength 600 nm.
The distance between the first minima on either side of a screen at a distance of 2 m is (1994)
(a) 1.2 cm
(b) 1.2 mm
(c) 2.4 cm
(d) 2.4 mm

17. Two coherent monochromatic light beams of intensities I and 4I are superposed. The maximum
and minimum possible intensities in the resulting beam are (1988)
(a) 5I and I
(b) 5I and 3I
(c) 9I and I
(d) 9I and 3I
18. In a Young's double slit experiment, the separation between the slits is halved and the distance
between the slits and the screen is doubled. The fringe width is (1981)
(a) unchanged
(b) halved
(c) doubled
(d) quadrupled

19. Assuming human pupil to have a radius of 0.25 cm and a comfortable viewing distance of 25
cm, the minimum separation between two objects that human eye can resolve at 500 nm
wavelength is
(a) 30  m
(b) 1  m
(c) 100  m
(d) 300  m

20. On a hot summer night, the refractive index of air is the smallest near the ground and increases
with height from the ground. When a light beam is directed horizontally, the Huygens principle
leads us to conclude that as it travels, the light beam (2015)
(a) becomes narrower
(b) goes horizontally without any deflection
(c) bends upwards
(d) bends downwards

21. Two beams, A and B, of plane polarised light with mutually perpendicular planes of
polarisation are seen through a polaroid. From the position when the beam A has maximum
intensity (and beam B has zero intensity), a rotation of polaroid through 30° makes the two beams
appear equally bright. If the initial intensities of the two beams are IA and IB respectively, then
I A / I B equals (2014)
(a) 3
(b) 3/2
(c) 1
(d) 1/3

22. If a minimum in Young's double slit experiment occurs directly in front of one of the slits,
(distance between slit and screen D = 12 cm and distance between slits d = 5 cm) then the
wavelength of the radiation used is
(a) 2 cm only
(b) 4 cm only
 2 2
(c) 2m, cm, cm
3 5
4 4
(d) 4cm, cm, cm
3 5

23. Plane wavefronts are incident on a s p h e r i c a l m i r r o r a s s h o w n . t h e reflected

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

24. Figure shows plane waves refracted from air to water. What is the refractive index of water
with respect to air?

(a) a/e
(b) b/e
(c) b/d
(d) d/b
 o
25. In Young's double slit experiment, the wavelength of red light is 7800 A and that of blue light
o
is 5200 A . The value of n for which nth bright band due to red light coincides with ( n + 1) bright
th

band due to blue light, is

26. In Young's double slit experiment, first maxima is observed at a fixed point P on the screen.
Now the screen is continuously moved away from the plane of slits. The ratio of intensity at point
P to the intensity at point O (centre of the screen)

(a) remains constant

27. In a YDSE with two identical slits, when the upper slit is covered with a thin, perfectly
transparent sheet of mica, the intensity at the centre of screen reduces from its initial value. Second
order minima is observed to be above this point and second order maxima below it. Which of the
following cannot be a possible value of phase difference caused by the mica sheet?

(a)
3
7
(b)
2
10
(c)
3
11
(d)
3
28. In a double slit experiment, the separation between the slits is d = 0.25 cm and the distance of
o
the screen D = 100 cm from the slits. If the wavelength of light used is  = 6000 A and I 0 is the
intensity of the central bright fringe, the intensity at a distance y = 4 10−5 m from the central
maximum is
(a) I 0
(b) I 0 / 2
(c) 3I 0 / 4
(d) I 0 / 3

29. A thin film of thickness t and index of refraction 1.33 coats a glass with index of refraction
1.50. What is the least thickness t that will strongly reflect light with wavelength 600 nm incident
normally?
(a) 200 nm
(b) 100 nm
(c) 400 nm
(d) 300 nm

30. Two parallel rays are travelling in a medium of refractive index 1 = 4 / 3 . One of the rays
passes through a parallel glass slab of thickness t and refractive index 2 = 3 / 2 . The path
difference between the two rays due to the glass slab will be
(a) 4t/3
(b) 3t/2
(c) t/8
(d) t/6

31. Light waves travel in vacuum along the y-axis. Which of the following may represent the
wavefront?
(a) x = constant
(b) y = constant
(c) z = constant
(d) x + y + z = constant

32. The ratio of intensities of two waves is 9 : 1. They are producing interference. The ratio of
maximum and minimum intensities will be
(a) 10:8
(b) 9 : 1
(c) 4 : 1
(d) 12 : 1
33. Two coherent monochromatic light beams of intensities I and 4I are superposed. The maximum
and minimum possible intensities are
(a) 9I and I
(b) 5I and 2I
(c) 2I and 9I
(d) 4I and 2I

34. Interference was observed in interference chamber when air was present, now the chamber is
evacuated and if, the same light is used, a careful observer will see
(a) interference in which width of the fringe will be slightly increased
(b) interference with bright band
(c) interference with dark band
(d) All of the above

35. A stone thrown into still water, creates a circular wave pattern moving radially outwards. If, r
is the distance measured from the centre of the pattern, the amplitude of the wave varies as
(a) r −3/2
r −1/2
(b)
2
−1
(c) r
(d) r1/3

36. Two coherent sources of intensities I1 and I 2 produce an interference pattern. The maximum
intensity in the interference pattern will be

( )
2
(a) I1 + I 2

(b) I12 + I 22
(c) I1 + I 2
(d) ( I1 + I 2 )
2

37. If, an interference pattern has maximum and minimum intensities in 36:1 ratio, then what will
be the ratio of amplitudes?
(a) 4:5
(b) 7:5
(c) 6:5
(d) 3:4
 o
38. The waves of wavelength 5900 A emitted by any atom or molecule must have some finite
total length which is known as coherent length. For sodium light, this length is 2.4 cm. The number
of oscillations in this length will be
(a) 4.068 105
(b) 4.068 106
(c) 4.068 107
(d) 4.068 104

39. In a certain double slit experimental arrangement interference fringes of width 1.0 mm each
o
are observed when light of wavelength 5000 A is used. Keeping the setup unaltered, if the
o
source is replaced by another source of wavelength 6000 A , the fringe width will be
(a) 12 mm
(b) 1.5 mm
(c) 1.8 mm
(d) 2.0 mm

40. A beam of circularly polarised light is completely absorbed by an object on which it falls. If,
U represents absorbed energy and  represents angular frequency, then angular momentum
transferred to the object is given by
U
(a) 2

U
(b)
2
U
(c)

2U
(d)

 Answer Key:

1. (a) 2. (d) 3. (c) 4. (d) 5. (b) 6. (c) 7. (d) 8. (b) 9. (a) 10. (b) 11. (b) 12. (a)
13. (a) 14. (d) 15. (d) 16. (d) 17. (c) 18. (d) 19. (a) 20. (c) 21. (d) 22. (a) 23. (a) 24. (c)
25. (b) 26. (c) 27. (a) 28. (c) 29. (b) 30. (c) 31. (b) 32. (c) 33. (a) 34. (a) 35. (c) 36. (a)
37. (b) 38. (d) 39. (a) 40. (c)
 Solutions
1. (a)

2. (d)

3. (c)

4. (d)

5. (b)
6. (c)

7. (d)
8. (b)

9. (a)
10. (b)

11. (b)

12. (a)
13. (a)

14. (d)

15. (d)
16. (d)

17. (c)

18. (d)
19. (a)

20. (c)

21. (d)
22. (a)

23. (a)

24. (c)

25. (b)
26. (c)

27. (a)

28. (c)
29. (b)

30. (c)

31. (b)

32. (c)

33. (a)
34. (a)

35. (c)

36. (a)

37. (b)

38. (d)

39. (a)
40. (c)