Physics - Superposition
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Flashcards
At what phase differences does total constructive superposition occur?
At what phase differences does total destructive superposition occur?
What requirement other than phase difference is there for total destructive superposition?
Both waves need to have the same amplitude.
2021-05-27
What does it mean for two wave sources to be coherent?
They have the same frequency.
What does two wave sources being coherent mean can happen?
They can form a stable interference pattern.
What is “path difference”?
The difference in distance that two different waves have travelled from their sources.
What is a “central maxima”?
The middle part of an interference pattern with the largest amplitude.
What is the “1st order maxima” in an interference pattern?
The second largest part of an interference pattern.
What is the “1st order minima” in an interference pattern?
The first region of total destructive interference.
What is the phase difference for the 2nd order maxima in an interference pattern?
What is the path difference for the 2nd order maxima in an interference pattern?
What is the phase difference for the 2nd order minima in an interference pattern?
What is the path difference for the 2nd order minima in an interference pattern?
What does it mean for integer multiples of the path difference in an interference pattern?
They form a maxima.
What does it mean for even multiples of $\pi$ for the phase difference in an interference pattern?
They form a maxima.
What does it mean for half-multiples of the path difference in an interference pattern?
They form a minima.
What does it mean for odd multiples of $\pi$ for the phase difference in an interference pattern?
They form a minima.
2021-06-08
What’s one way of getting a set of coherent waves experimentally?
- Use a single light source
- Pass through one slit
- Have it diffract through two more slits
How can you get two coherent longitudinal waves?
Use two speakers connected to the same signal generator.
What’s the formula for working out the wavelength $\lambda$ from a interference pattern given the slit seperation $a$, the fringe spacing $x$ and the slit-to-screen distance $D$?
\[\lambda = \frac{ax}{D}\]
What assumption do you make for this equation to work?
That the slit-to-screen distance $D$ is much greater than the slit seperation $a$.
2021-06-17
What is true in terms of phase difference for two coherent waves?
They will have a constant phase difference.