CLASS – XII SUBJECT: PHYSICS

WORK SHEET: WAVE OPTICS

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
Q.1 In Young’s double slit experiment, the source is white light. One of the holes is covered
by a red filter and another by a blue filter. In this case
(a) there shall be alternate interference patterns of red and blue.
(b) there shall be an interference pattern for red distinct from that for blue.
(c) there shall be no interference fringes.
(d.) there shall be an interference pattern for red mixing with one for blue.

Q.2 In Young’s double-slit experiment the fringe width is found to be 0.4 mm. If the whole
apparatus is dipped in water of refractive index 4/3, without disturbing the
arrangement, the new fringe width will be
(a.) 0.30 mm (b) 0.40 mm (c) 0.53 mm (d) 0.2 mm

Q.3 Two waves having intensities in the ratio of 9 : 1 produce interference. The ratio of
maximum to minimum intensity is
(a) 10: 8 (b) 9 : 1 (c.) 4 : 1 (d) 2 : 1

Q.4 Consider the diffraction pattern for a small pinhole. As the size of the hole is increased,
the effect on central bright fringe is
(a.) the size decreases (b.) the intensity increases
(c) the size increases (d) the intensity decrease

Q.5 What happens, if the monochromatic light used in Young’s double slit experiment is
replaced by white light?
(a) No fringes are observed.
(b) All bright fringes become while.
(c) All bright fringes have colour between violet and red.
(d.) Only the central fringe is white and all other fringes are coloured.

Q.6 In Young’s experiment, monochromatic light is used to illuminate the slits A and B.
Interference fringes are observed on a screen placed in front of the slits. Now if a thin
glass plate is placed in the path of the beam coming from A, then

(a) the fringes will disappear

(b) the fringe width will increase

(c) the fringe width will decrease

(d.) there will be no change in the fringe width

Q.7 What is path difference for destructive interference?

(a) n λ (b) n (λ +1)

λ λ
(c.) (2n+1) (d) (n+1)
2 2

Q.8 In Young’s double-slit experiment, the intensity at the central maximum is I 0 if one of
the slit is covered, then the intensity at the central maximum become:

Q.9

Q.10 The wavefront due to a source situated at infinity is

(a) spherical (b) cylindrical
(c.) plane (d) circular

ASSERTION REASON TYPE QUESTIONS

In the following questions, a statement of Assertion (A) is followed by a statement of
Reason (R). Choose the correct answer out of the following choices.
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false and R is also false.
Q.11 Assertion(A): For identical coherent waves, the maximum intensity is four times the
intensity due to each wave.
.. Reason (R): Intensity is proportional to the square of amplitude.

Q.12 Assertion(A): When the apparatus of Young’s double-slit experiment is brought in a

liquid from air, the fringe width decreases.
. Reason (R): The wavelength of light decreases in the liquid

SHORT AND LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q.1 How is a wave front defined? Using Huygen’s constructions draw a figure showing the
propagation of a plane wave front reflecting at a plane. Using this figure prove the laws
of reflections.

Q.2 (a) Using Huygen’s constructions draw a figure showing the propagation of a plane wave
front refracting at a plane surface separating two media. Hence verify the law of
refractions.
(b) When a light wave travels from rarer to denser medium, the speed decreases. Does
it imply reduction in its energy? Explain.

Q.3 What is interference of light? Describe briefly how an interference pattern is obtained
on the screen by using Young’s Double Slit experiment.

Q.4 (a) What are the conditions for sustained interference.

(b) Derive an expression for the intensity at any point on the screen in Young’s Double
Slit experiment and hence deduce the conditions for constructive and destructive
interference in terms of phase difference and path difference.
(c)Draw a graph showing the variation of resultant intensity at any point on the screen
with phase difference.

Q.5 With the help of suitable ray diagram derive an experiment for the fringe width for
Bright fringe, Dark fringe and Central fringe in Young’s Double Slit experiment.

Q.6 (a) What is diffraction of light? State the conditions for diffraction.
(b) Explain briefly the formation of a pattern of fringes obtained on the screen due to a
single slit.
Q.7 (a)With the help of suitable ray diagram find the expressions for angular positions of
minima’s and secondary maxima’s in a single slit diffraction experiment.
(b) Derive an expression for the width of central maximum.
(c) Show graphically the variation of intensity at any point on the screen with path
difference and explain why secondary maxima’s are going to decrease in intensity with
increasing their order.
Q.8 Give four points of difference between interference and diffraction pattern.
1.it is due to superposition of two waves it is due to superposition of secondary
Ans.
coming from two coherent sources. wavelets originating from different parts
of the same wave front.

2. width of interference fringes are equal. width of diffraction fringes are not equal.
3. the intensity of all maxima’s is same. the intensity of central maximum is
maximum and goes decreasing with
increasing the order of maxima.
nλ nλ
4. at θ = bright fringes are obtained. At θ = minima’s are obtained.
d d

Q.9 In Young’s double slit experiment describe briefly how bright and dark fringe are
obtained on the screen kept in front of double slit?
Light wave starting from S fall on Slit S1 and S2 so that S1 and S2 behave like two
Ans.
coherent sources. Spherical waves emitting from S1 and S2 superimposed on each other
and produce interference pattern on the screen in the form of dark and bright fringes.

Q.10 Using Huygen’s construction of secondary wavelength explain how a diffraction pattern
is obtained on a screen due to a narrow slit on which a monochromtic beam of light is
incident normally.
Ans. When a plane wave front from a distant source illuminates a slit, each point within the
slit becomes a source of secondary spherical wavelets. These spherical wavelets go on
increasing in size and superpose on each other, in a region between slit and screen.
(a) If all the path differences are zero, then all the parts of the slit contribute in same
phase and gives maximum intensity at point p.
(b)If all the path differences are non zero , then all the parts of the slit may either
suppose in phase or out of phase resulting on either secondary maxima or minima at pt
p.
Q.11 1 λ
Explain why the maxima at θ = ( n ± ) becomes weaker and weaker with increasing
2 d
n.
Ans. If the path difference between the waves reaching at a point p on the screen is d sin θ =
3λ
, then the waves from first two-third part of the slit will have the path difference of
2
λ
and hence will contribute no intensity at that point, however the remaining one-third
2
5λ
part of the slit will contribute some intensity at pt p. Similarly if d sin θ = only one-
2
fifth part of slit will contribute some intensity at pt p.
(2 n+1) λ 1 λ
That’s why the maxima at d sinθ = or θ = (n + ) becomes weaker and
2 2 d
weaker with increasing n because they get light only from 1/3rd , 1/5th, 1/7th, ……. part of
slit.
Q.12 Two essential conditions for diffraction :-
(a) Size of slit should be of the order of wavelength of light used.
Ans. (b)Source of light should be monochromatic.

Q.13 Two conditions for Sustained interference pattern :-

(a) two sources of light should be coherent.
Ans. (b) the interfering waves must have equal amplitudes otherwise minimum intensity will
not be zeo and there will be general illumination.

Q.14 The intensity at the central maxima (O) in a Young’s double slit experiment is I0.
If the distance OP equals one-third of the fringe width of the pattern, find the
intensity at point P .

Q.15 (a)Two independent monochromatic sources of light cannot produce a sustained

interference pattern. Give reason.
(b)How would the diffraction pattern be affected when the monochromatic source
of light is replaced by white light?
’
(c)How would the fringe width in interference pattern be affected when Young s
double slit experiment is immersed in a liquid?

Q.16 The ratio of the width of two slits in Young’s double slit experiment is 9 : 1. Prove
that in the interference pattern,

Q.17 Two plane wavefronts of light, one incident on a thin convex lens and another on
the refracting face of a thin prism. After refraction at them, what will be the
emerging wavefronts respectively?

Case-based Questions
Read the following paragraph and answer the questions that follow
 INTERFERENCE OF LIGHT: One of the earliest quantitative experiments to reveal the
interference of light from two sources was performed in 1800 by the English scientist
Thomas Young. A light source emits monochromatic light; however, this light is not
suitable for use in an interference experiment because emissions from different parts of
an ordinary source are not synchronized. To remedy this, the light is directed at a screen
with a narrow slit, S, 1 µm or so wide. The light emerging from the slit originated from
only a small region of the light source; thus slit S behaves more nearly like the idealised
source. In modern versions of the experiment, a laser is used as a source of coherent
light, and the slit S isn’t needed. The light from slit S falls on a screen with two other
narrow slits S1 and S2, each 1µm or S wide and a few tens or hundreds of micrometers
aparts. Cylindrical wavefronts spread out from slit S and reach slits S1 and S2 in phase
because they travel equal distances from S. The waves emerging from slits S1 and S2 are
therefore always in phase, so S1 and S2 are coherent sources. To visualize the
interference pattern, a screen is placed S so that the light from S1 and S2 falls on it. The
screen will be most brightly illuminated at position 0, where the light waves from the
slits interfere constructively and will be darkest at points where the interference is
destructive.
(i)The path difference for destructive interference is
λ
(a) (n-1)
2
λ
(b) (2n-1)
2
(c) n (λ +1)
(d) n λ
(ii) In a Young’s double slit experiment, the source is white light. One of the holes is
covered by a red filter and another by a blue filter. In this case
(a) there shall be no interference fringes
(b) there shall be an interference pattern for red distinct from that for blue
(c) there shall be alternate interference patterns of red and blue
(d) there shall be an interference pattern for red mixing with blue
(iii) In a Young’s double slit experiment, the slit separation is 0.2 cm, the distance
between the screen and slits is 1 m. Wavelength of the light used is 5000 A0. The fringe
width (in mm) is
(a) 0.28 (b) 0.27 (c) 0.26 (d) 0.25
(iv) In a Young’s double slit experiment, the slit separation is 1 mm and the screen is 1 m
from the slit. For a monochromatic light of wavelength 500 nm, the distance of 3rd
minima from the central maxima is
(a) 1.75 mm (b) 1.50 mm (c) 1.25 mm (d) 0.50 mm
(v) A double slit experiment is performed with light of wavelength 500 nm. A thin film of
thickness 2 µm and refractive index 1.5 is introduced in path of the upper beam. The
location of the central maxima will
(a) shift downward by ten fringes (b) shift upward by nearly two fringes
(c) shift downward by nearly two fringes (d) remain unshifted