Optics Flashcards
(103 cards)
What is optics?
Interaction of light with matter
What is macroscopic?
visible to the naked eye
What are the three examples of the wave nature of light?
- Diffraction
- Interference
- Polarisation
Light has a wave nature, and when is this shown?
Diffraction
What is Diffraction?
Light waves deviate from straight path and “spread out” as they pass by an obstacle or through an opening.
During diffraction how does the opening affect the dispersal of the waves?
Smaller the opening – the more the waves spread
How does the length of the wavelength affect the amount of diffraction?
The longer the wavelength of the wave, the larger the amount of diffraction
What is interference?
in which two waves come together in such a way that they completely cancel each other out to form a resultant wave of greater, lower, or the same amplitude
If you have two or more light, sound, or electromagnetic waves of the same frequency combine to reinforce or cancel each other, what would the amplitude be of the resulting wave?
The amplitude of the resulting wave being equal to the sum of the amplitudes of the combining waves
What is destructive interference?
A type of interference that occurs at any location along the medium where the two interfering waves have a displacement in the opposite direction. In destructive interference, the crest of one wave meets the trough of another, and the result is a lower total amplitude
How does the Interference pattern (bright & dark regions) work?
Each slit acts as a source of the waves, where the waves interfere constructively or destruvively at the screen. A pattern of light and dark fringes are observed on the screen
What colour are the
a) constructive interference
b) destructive interference
a) bright
b) dark
What is constructive interference?
When two waves meet in such a way that their crests line up together, then it’s called constructive interference. The resulting wave has a higher amplitude.
Name two benefits of diffraction and why?
Radio wave diffraction : Mountainous area - Longer wavelength waves diffracted around and between mountains As radio waves undergo diffraction it means that a signal from a transmitter may be received even though it may be “shaded” by a large object between them
X-ray diffraction : used to investigate internal structure of important biological molecules - example, proteins and DNA. In addition, used for compound identification,
What does diffraction depend on?
The relationship between the wavelength and the size of the obstacle.
What is polarisation?
The process of transforming unpolarized light into polarized light
Is general light polarised or unpolarised?
Unpolarised
What is unpolarised light?
When the waves produced usually have their oscillation moving at all different angles - all the light waves have different planes of oscillation
What is polarised light?
When light passes through a filter and the waves of light are limited to one plane of movement and the rest is absorbed, leaving polarized light to only have one plane of oscillation.
How can light be polarised?
Light can become polarised by :
•Reflection
•Refraction
•Scattering
How is light polarised by reflection?
It is done by reflecting off the unpolarized light in a nonmetallic reflecting surface. Light bounces off surface – unpolarized and once bounced it becomes partly polarized
The amount of polarisation done by relfection depends on what?
It will depend on the angle of incidence of the light and the composition of the material used for the reflecting surface.
If you reflect polarised light which is horizontal will a reflected polarised light appear?
Yes
If you reflect polarised light which is vertical, will a reflected polarised light appear?
No