Previous Year Questions

Physics Baba 2.0

Unit: Wave Optics

Question1.
Define the term ‘wavefront’.

Question 2.
Define the term ‘coherent sources’ which are required to produce interference
pattern in Young’s double-slit experiment.

Question 3.
What change would you expect if the whole of Young’s double-slit apparatus were
dipped into the water?

Question4.
When light travels from a rarer to a denser medium, it loses some speed. Does the
reduction in speed Imply a reduction in the energy carried by the light wave?

Question 5.
If one of the slits say S1, is covered then what changes occur in the Intensity of light
at the centre of the screen?

Question 6.
How does the angular separation between fringes in a single-slit diffraction
experiment change when the distance of separation between the slit and screen is
doubled?

Question 7.
Draw a graph showing the intensity distribution of fringes due to diffraction at a
single-slit.

Question 8.
(a) Derive Snell’s law on the basis of Huygen’s wave theory when light Is travelling
from a denser to a rarer medium.
(b) Draw the sketches to differentiate between plane wavefront and spherical
wavefront.

Question 9.
The figure drawn here shows the geometry of path differences for diffraction by a

single-slit of width a.

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Give appropriate ‘reasoning’ to explain why the intensity of light is
(a) Maximum at the central point C on the screen.
(b) (Nearly) zero for point P on the screen when θ = λ / a.
Hence write an expression for the total linear width of the central maxima on a
screen kept at a distance D from the plane of the slit. Question 22.
How Is the diffraction pattern different from the interference pattern obtained In
Young’s double¬slit experiment?

Question 10.
(a) Can two independent monochromatic light sources be used to obtain a steady
interference pattern? Justify your answer.
(b) In an interference experiment using monochromatic light of wavelength A, the
intensity of light of point, where the path difference is X, on the screen is K units.
Find out the Intensity of light at a point when path difference is λ/4.

Question 11.
(a) Two monochromatic waves emanating from two coherent sources have the
displacements represented by y1 = a cos ωt and y2 = a cos (ωt + Φ), where Φ is the
phase difference between the two displacements. Show that the resultant intensity
at a point due to their superposition is given by l = 4lo cos² Φ/2, where lo = a².

Question 12.
Answer the following questions:
(a) In a double-slit experiment using the light of wavelength 600 nm, the angular
width of the fringe formed on a distant screen is 0.1°. Find the spacing between the
two slits.
(b) Light of wavelength 5000 A propagating 1n air gets partly reflected from the
surface of the water. How will the wavelengths and frequencies of the reflected and
refracted light be affected?

Question 13.
In a single-slit diffraction pattern, how does the angular width of central maximum
change, when
(a) slit width is decreased,
(b) distance between the slit and screen is increased, and
(c) light of smaller visible wavelength is used? Justify your answer in each case.

Question 14.
(a) If one of two identical slits producing interference in Young’s experiment is
covered with glass so that the light intensity passing through it is reduced to 50%,
find the ratio of the maximum and minimum intensity of the fringe in the
Interference pattern.
(b) What kind of fringes do you expect to observe if white light is used Instead of
monochromatic light?

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Question 15.
What is the effect on the interference fringes in Young’s double-slit experiment due
to each of the following operations:
(a) the screen is moved away from the plane of the slits;
(b) the (monochromatic) source is replaced by another (monochromatic) source of
shorter wavelength;
(c) the separation between the two slits is Increased
(d) the source slit is moved closer to the double-slit plane;
(e) the width of the source slit is Increased;
(f) the monochromatic source is replaced by a source of white light? (In each
operation take all parameters other than the one specified to remain unchanged.)

Question 16.
What is the diffraction of light? Draw a graph showing the variation of intensity
with the 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?

Question 17.
(a) Define a wavefront. Using Huygens’ geometrical construction, explain with the
help of a diagram how the plane wavefront travels from the instant t1 to t2 in the air.
(b) A plane wavefront is incident on a convex lens. Explain, with the help of the
diagram, the shape of the refracted wavefront formed.

Question 18.
(a) Describe any two characteristic features which distinguish between interference
and diffraction phenomena. Derive the expression for the intensity at a point of the
interference pattern in Young’s double-slit experiment.
(b) In the diffraction due to a single slit experiment, the aperture of the slit is 3 mm.
If monochromatic light of wavelength 620 nm is incident normally on the slit,
calculate the separation between the first order minima and the 3rd order maxima
on one side of the screen. The distance between the slit and the screen is 1.5 m.

Question 19.
(a) In Young’s double-slit experiment, deduce the conditions for obtaining
constructive and destructive interference fringes. Hence deduce the expression for
the fringe width.(b) Show that the fringe pattern on the screen is actually a
superposition of single-slit diffraction from each slit.(c) 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, for the green light of wavelength 500 nm, if the
separation between two slits is 1 mm?

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Question 20.
(a) Define a wavefront. How is it different from a ray?
(b) Depict the shape of a wavefront in each of the following cases.
(i) Light diverging from a point source,
(ii) Light emerging out of a convex lens when a point source is placed at its focus.
(c) Using Huygen’s construction of secondary wavelets, draw a diagram showing
the passage of a plane wavefront from a denser into a rarer medium.

Question 21.
(a) Define a wavefront. Using Huygens’ Principle, verify the laws of reflection at a
plane surface.
(b) 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? Explain.
(c) When a tiny circular obstacle is placed in the path of light from a distant source,
a bright spot is seen at the centre of the obstacle. Explain why.

Question 22.
Laser light of wavelength 630 nm incident on a pair of slits produces an interference
pattern in which the bright fringes are separated by 7.2 mm. Calculate the
wavelength of another source of laser light that produces interference fringes
separated by 8.1 mm using the same pair of slits.

Question 23.
Laser light of wavelength 640 nm incident on a pair of slits produces an interference
pattern in which the bright fringes are separated by 7.2 mm. Calculate the
wavelength of another source of light that produces interference fringes separated
by 8.1 mm using the same arrangement. Also, find the minimum value of the order
(n) of the bright fringe of the shorter wavelength which coincides with that of the
longer wavelength.

Question 24.
Yellow light (λ = 6000 Å) illuminates a single-slit of width 1 × 10 m. Calculate
(a) the distance between the two dark tines on either side of the central maximum,
when the diffraction pattern is viewed on a screen kept 1.5 m away from the slit;
(b) the angular spread of the first diffraction [Link] 5.
Find the ratio of Intensities of two points P and Q on the screen in Young’s double-
slit experiment when the waves from sources S1 and S2 have a phase difference of (i)
π/3 and (11) π/2.

Question 25.
In young’s double-slit experiment, two sifts are separated by 3 mm distance and
illuminated by the light of wavelength 480 nm. The screen is at 2 m from the plane
of the slits. Calculate the separation between the 8th bright fringe and the 3N dark
fringes observed with respect to the central bright fringe.

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Question 26.
Two coherent sources have Intensities In the ratio 25: 16. Find the ratio of the
Intensities of maxima to minima, after the interference of light occurs.

Question 27.
The ratio of intensities of maxima and minima in an interference pattern is found to
be 25: 9. Calculate the ratio of light intensities of the sources producing this pattern.

Question 28.
In Young’s slit experiment, Interference fringes are observed on a screen, kept at D
from the slits. If the screen Is moved towards the slits by 5 × 10-2 m, the change in
fringe width Is found to be 3 × 10-5 m. If the separation between the slits is 10-3 m,
calculate the wavelength of the light used.

Question 29.
A slit of width ‘a’ is illuminated by monochromatic light of wavelength 700 nm at
Normal Incidence. Calculate the value of ‘a’ for the position of
(a) the first minimum at an angle of diffraction of 30°.
(b) first maximum at an angle of diffraction of 30°.

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