Physics Department
Interference and
Diffraction
Questions
Basic Waves
Stationary Waves
Stationary wave questions 2
Exam Question 3
Interference and Diffraction
Questions 5
Stationary Wave Exam Questions
7
Young’s Slits and Diffraction Grating
9
Olympiad Question 20
Answers 23
P a g e 1 | 25
P a g e 2 | 25
P a g e 3 | 25
P a g e 4 | 25
P a g e 5 | 25
P a g e 6 | 25
P a g e 7 | 25
P a g e 8 | 25
P a g e 9 | 25
P a g e 10 | 25
P a g e 11 | 25
Basic Exam Questions
P a g e 12 | 25
P a g e 13 | 25
P a g e 14 | 25
P a g e 15 | 25
P a g e 16 | 25
P a g e 17 | 25
Extended Writing Question
P a g e 18 | 25
P a g e 19 | 25
Olympiad Question – Waves
P a g e 20 | 25
P a g e 21 | 25
P a g e 22 | 25
Waves Answers
b) 0°, 15.4°, 52.6°
Stationary Waves 1 5. B
8. 0.15ms-1 7a) 3.15°
Stationary Waves 2 b) 1.65m
1a) 387 ms-1 8. 5
2ai) 6.7x10-3s Interference and Diffraction
3d) 5.2Hz 1ai) 0.236°
4c) 3.8 x10-3kg bi) 5.2x10-3m
Vibrating Strings c) 32°
1.D 2.C 3. 0.4m, 0.8m, 420 ms-1, 312 ms-1, 1.46 gm-1, 2ai) 0.11m ii) 8.8x10-3m
128N, 1320Hz, 880Hz, 440Hz
3a) 1.96x10-6m b) 37.9° c) 67°
-1
5a) 100 ms d) 3.5m
b) 1m 4a) 0.64m bii) 53°
c) 100Hz, 6.35 5i) 0.29° ii) 0.115° iii) 4.0x10-3m
Interference + Diffraction Basic Exam Questions
8. 13m, 12.37m, 0.6m, 328ms-1 1. ai) 4.13x10-3
ii) broader, white central maximum,
10. 8.90
spectrums at each maximum, blue on
11. 0, 275nm, 825nm, 1,100nm inside/red on outside, spreads out further
from centre
Double slit system bi) w = 0.103m
1. B bii) Two waves in phase, constructive
2. C interference/peak meets peak etc
biii) two coherent, monochromatic waves,
4. 4.68x10-7m same frequency/wavelengths, similar
5. 0.6m amplitude
ci) 32.1°
6i) constructive cii) Bright lines are where two waves meet in
phase/peak meets peak, constructive
6ii) destructive
interference occurs/superposition of two
Problems on diffraction gratings waves, the path difference is equal to nλ
2a) 2.22x10-6m
2.ai) 0.11m
b) 5.75x10-7m aii) 0.11m
b) central maximum much wider and higher
3a) 2x10-6m intensity, subsidiary maxima smaller and
b) 3rd order narrower
d) 64°, 37°, 17° 3a) 1.92x10-6m
)×+.-×'./0
4a) 5.30x10-7m b) 𝜃 = 𝑠𝑖𝑛&' ( '.-)×'./1 2 = 37.9°
P a g e 23 | 25
c) 3.53m
d) The subsidiary maxima will move inwards as θ decreases (show calculation
that θ=31.2°
Max orders visible for original nmax = 3, so 7 visible. New nmax=4, so 9 visible
4a)0.64m
bi) gap is similar size to the wavelength
5a) filament lamp
5bi) 0.29°
5bii) 0.21°
5biii) 0.15m
2011 4. A
2008 1. D
2009 4. B
P a g e 24 | 25
2011 11.
P a g e 25 | 25