Wave OPTICS

BOARD QUESTIONS
➢ Very Short Questions:
1. What are coherent sources of light? [2008,2004,2002]
2. State the importance of coherent sources in the phenomenon of interference.
3. In what way is the diffraction from each slit related to interference pattern in double slit experiment ?
[2015]
4. How does the fringe width of interference fringe change, when the whole apparatus of Young experiment is
kept in water (refractive index 4/3) [2011]
5. Can two identical and independent sodium lamps act as coherent sources? Give reason for your answer.
[2004,2008]
6. Sketch the variation of intensity of the interference pattern in Young’s double slit experiment.[2001]
7. How does the angular separation of interference fringes change in Young’s experiment, if the distance
between the slits is increased? [2008]
8. How does the angular separation between fringes in single-slit diffraction experiment change when the
distance of separation between the slit and screen is doubled? [2012]
9. In a single-slit diffraction experiment, the width of the slit is made double the original width. How does this
affect the size and intensity of the central diffraction band? [2012]
10. State the reason, why two independent sources of light cannot be considered as coherent sources. [2008]
11. How does the fringe width of interference fringes change, when the whole apparatus of young’s experiment
is kept in water (refractive index 4/3)? [2008,2011]
12. Why is the interference pattern not detected, when two coherent sources are far apart?
13. No interference pattern is detected when two coherent sources are infinitely close to each other. Why?
14. If s is the size of source giving light of wavelength , separation between the slits, D its distance from the
plane of slits, what should be the criterion for the interference fringes to be seen. [2008]

15. State the essential condition for diffraction of light to take place. [2007]
16. How does the intensity of the central maximum changes if the width of the slit is halved in a single slit
diffraction experiment? [2002]
17. A parallel beam of monochromatic light falls normally on a single narrow slit. How does the angular width
of the principal maximum in the resulting diffraction pattern depend on the width of the slit? [2008]
18. How would the angular separation of interference fringes in Young’s double slit experiment change when
the distance of separation between the slits and the screen is doubled?
[2002]
0
19. Light of wavelength 5000 A propagating in air gets partly reflected from the surface of water. How will the
wavelength and frequencies of the reflected and refracted light be affected? [2015]

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 Wave OPTICS

➢ Short Questions:

1. Draw the diagrams to show the behavior of plane wavefronts as they pass through (a) a thin prism and (b)
a thin convex lens(c) concave mirror.
[2008,2015 ]
2. State two conditions for sustained interference of light. Also write the expression for the fringe width.
[2004,2008]
3. (a) Why are coherent sources necessary to produce a sustained interference pattern?
(b) In Young’s double slit experiment using monochromatic light of wavelength , the intensity of light at a
point on the screen where path difference is , is K units. Find out the intensity of light at a point where
path difference s /3. [2012]
4. Two identical coherent waves, each of intensity I, are producing an interference pattern. Find the value of
the resultant intensity at a point of (i) constructive interference and (ii) destructive interference.
[2004]
5. Two slits in Young’s double slit experiment are illuminated by two different lamps emitting light of same
wavelength. Will you observe the interference pattern? Justify your answer. [2003,2008]
6. The intensity at the central maxima (O) in a Young’s double slit experiment is I 0. If the distance OP equals
I
one-third of the fringe width of the pattern, show that the intensity at point P would be 0 . [2011,2012]
4

7. In Young’s double slit experiment, explain with reason in each case, how the interference pattern changes
when [2004]
(i) width of the slits is doubled
(ii) separation between the slits is increased and
(iii) screen is moved away from the plane of slits.
8. How will the angular separation and visibility of fringes in Young’s double slit experiment change when (i)
screen is moved away from the plane of the slits. (ii) width of source slit is increased? [2008]
9. In the experiment on diffraction due to a single slit, show that [2011]
(i) the intensity of diffraction fringes decreases as the order (n) increases.
(ii) angular width of the central maximum is twice that of the first order secondary maximum.
10. In what way is diffraction from each slit related to the interference pattern in a double slit experiment?
[2013]
11. What are coherent sources of light? Why are coherent sources required to produce interference of light?
Give an example of interference in every day life. [2007]
12. Give two differences between interference and diffraction of light. [2003,2008,2009]
OR
State three characteristic features which distinguish between interference pattern due to two coherently
illuminated sources as compared to that observed in a diffraction pattern due to a single slit.

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 Wave OPTICS

➢ Long Questions :

1. How is a wavefront defined? Using Huygen’s construction draw a figure showing the propagation of a plane
wave reflecting at the interface of the two media. Show that the angle of incidence is equal to angle of
reflection.
[2008,2015,2016,2018]
2. (a) How is a wavefront defined? Distinguish between a plane wavefront and a spherical wavefront. Using
Huygen’s constructions draw a figure showing the propagation of a plane wave refracting at a plane surface
separating two media. Hence verify Snell’s law of refraction.
When a light wave travels from rarer to denser medium, the speed decreases. Does it imply reduction its
energy? Explain.
(b) When monochromatic light travels from a rarer to a denser medium, explain the following, giving
reasons:
(i) Is the frequency of reflected and refracted light same as the frequency of incident light?
(ii) Does the decrease in speed imply a reduction in the energy carried by light wave?
[2008,2011,2012,2013]
3. (a) Use Huygens’ geometrical construction to show the behavior of a plane wavefront.
(i) passing through a biconvex lens;
(ii) reflecting by a concave mirror.
(b) When monochromatic light is incident on a surface separating two media, why does the refracted light
have the same frequency as that of the incident light? [2012]
4. (a) In Young’s double slit experiment, deduce the conditions for (i) constructive, and (ii) destructive
interference at a point on the screen. Draw a graph showing variation of the resultant intensity in the
interference pattern against position ‘X’ on the screen.
(b) Compare and contrast the pattern which is seen with two coherently illuminated narrow slits in
Young’s experiment with that seen for a coherently illuminated single slit producing diffraction.
[2012,2016]
5. (a) What are coherent sources of light? State two conditions for two light sources to be coherent.
(b) Derive a mathematical expression for the width of interference fringes obtained in Young’s double slit
experiment with the help of a suitable diagram.
(c) If s is the size of the source and b its distance from the plane of the two slits, what should be the
criterion for the interference fringe to be seen?
OR
Derive an expression for fringe width in a two slit interference experiment.
[2006,2008,2011,2015]

6. Using Huygens’ principle, draw a diagram to show propagation of a wavefront originating from a
monochromatic point source.
Describe diffraction of light due to a single slit. Explain formation of a pattern of fringes obtained on the
screen and plot showing variation of intensity with angle  in single slit diffraction. [2005,2010,2013]
7. What is diffraction of light? Draw a graph showing the variation of intensity with angle in a single slit
diffraction experiment. Write one feature which distinguishes the observed pattern from the double slit
interference pattern.
How would the diffraction pattern of a single slit be affected when :
(i) the width of the slit is decreased?
(ii) the monochromatic source of light is replaced by a source of white light? [2013]

8. (a) Obtain the conditions for the bright and dark fringes in diffraction pattern due to a single narrow slit
illuminated by a monochromatic source.
Explain clearly why the secondary maxima go on becoming weaker with increasing n.
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 Wave OPTICS
(b) When the width of the slit is made double, how would this affect the size and intensity of the central
diffraction band? Justify. [2012]

➢ Previous Years’ Numericals:

1. The distance between the slits in Young’s interference experiment is 0.03 cm. The fourth bright fringe is
obtained at a distance of 1 cm from central fringe on a screen placed at a distance of 1.5 m from slits.
Calculate the wavelength of light used. [2005]
2. A beam of light consisting of two wavelengths, 800 nm and 600 nm is used to obtain the interference
fringes in a Young’s double slit experiment on a screen placed 1.4 m away. If the two slits are separated by
0.28 mm, calculate the least distance from the central bright maximum where the bright fringes of the two
wavelengths coincide. [2012]
3. Two wavelengths of sodium light 590 nm and 596 nm are used, in turn, to study the diffraction taking place
at a single slit of aperture 2  10-4 m. The distance between the slit and the screen is 1.5 m. Calculate the
separation between the positions of the first maxima of the diffraction pattern obtained in the two cases.
[2013]
4. A parallel beam of light of 500 nm falls on a narrow slit and the resulting diffraction pattern is observed on
a screen 1 m away. It is observed that the first minimum is at a distance of 2.5 mm from the centre of the
screen. Calculate the width of the slit. [2013]
5. Find the ratio of intensities at two points on a screen in Young’s double slit experiment when waves from

the two slits have a path difference of (i) 0 and (ii) . [2000,2003,2008]
4
6. A slit of width ‘a’ is illuminated by light of wavelength, 700 nm. What will be the value of slit width ‘a’ when
(a) First minimum falls at an angle of diffraction 30o?
(b) First maximum falls at an angle of diffraction 30o? [2007]
7. A parallel beam of light of wavelength 600 nm is incident normally on a slit of width ‘a’. If the distance
between the slit and the screen is 0.8 m and the distance of 2nd order maximum from the centre of the
screen is 1.5 mm, calculate the width of the slit. [2008]
8. Find the intensity at a point on a screen in young’s double slit experiment where the interfering waves of
 
equal intensity have a path difference of (i) (ii) [2017] [Ans; 2Io and Io]
4 3
9. A parallel beam of light of wavelength 600 nm is incident normally on a slit of width ‘a’ . If the distance
between the slit and the screen is 0.8 m and the distance of 2nd order maximum from the centre of the
screen is 1.5 mm, calculate of the slit; [Ans; 0.8 mm]
10. How does the refractive index of a transparent medium depend on the wavelength of incident light used?
Velocity of light in glass is 2 108 m/s and in air is 3 108 m/s. If the ray of light passes from glass to air,
2
calculate the critical angle. [2015] [Ans; sin −1 ( ) ]
3
11. (a) In Young’s double slit experiment, two slit are 1mm apart and the screen is placed 1m away from the
slits. Calculate the fringe width when light of wavelength 500 nm is used.
(b) What should be the width of each slit in order to obtain 10 maxima of the double slits pattern
within the central maximum of the single slit pattern? [2016] [Ans; 5  10 −4 m , 2  10 −4 m ]
12. (a) Assume that light of wavelength 600nm is coming from a star . Find the limit of resolution of a
telescope whose objective has diameter of 250 cm.
(b) Two slits are made 1mm apart and the screen is placed 1m away. What should be the width of
each slit to obtain 10 maxima of the double slit pattern within the central maximum of the single slit
pattern ? [2015] [ Ans; 2.9  10 −7 rad , 0.2 mm]

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