Interference

Front

Interference Noun

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[in-ter-feer-uhns]

Back

Interference

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The phenomenon where two or more waves superpose to form a resultant wave of greater, lower, or the same amplitude.

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Example: Two waves traveling towards each other combine their amplitudes when they overlap, creating a single, larger wave. This process is called constructive interference.

Front

Diffraction Noun

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[dih-frak-shuhn]

Back

Diffraction

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The process by which a wave bends as it passes an edge or through an aperture, spreading out from the opening.

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Example: Sound waves from Jack bend, or diffract, as they pass through the doorway, allowing Jill to hear him even though she cannot see him directly.

Front

Superposition Noun

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[soo-per-puh-zish-uhn]

Back

Superposition

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The principle stating that when two or more waves overlap, the resulting wave is the algebraic sum of the individual waves.

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Example: When waves from two sources overlap, they add together (superposition), creating areas of bigger waves (constructive interference) and smaller or no waves (destructive interference).

Front

Incoherent light Noun

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[in-koh-heer-uhnt lite]

Back

Incoherent light

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Light whose waves are not in phase with each other, resulting in an even illumination without a regular interference pattern.

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Example: Incoherent light consists of light waves that are out of phase and travel in many directions, unlike the organized waves of coherent light.

Front

Coherent light Noun

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[koh-heer-uhnt lite]

Back

Coherent light

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Light composed of waves having the same wavelength and a constant phase relationship, allowing for stable interference patterns.

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Example: This diagram shows a single light source passing through two slits, creating two new light waves whose peaks and troughs are aligned (in phase).

Front

Wavefront Noun

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[wayv-fruhnt]

Back

Wavefront

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A surface containing points affected in the same way by a wave at a given time, often representing the crests.

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Example: This diagram shows that a wavefront is an imaginary line connecting the crests of parallel waves as they travel in a specific direction.

Front

Interference fringes Noun

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[in-ter-feer-uhns frin-jiz]

Back

Interference fringes

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A pattern of alternating bright and dark bands created by the constructive and destructive interference of light waves.

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Example: Waves combine to create interference: in-phase waves add up (constructive), while out-of-phase waves cancel out (destructive), forming the basis of interference fringes.

Front

Constructive interference Noun

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[kuhn-struhk-tiv in-ter-feer-uhns]

Back

Constructive interference

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The interference of waves that are in phase, resulting in a wave of larger amplitude and a bright band of light.

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Example: When two wave pulses meet, their amplitudes add together. This diagram shows two pulses of height 'x' combining to form one larger pulse of height '2x'.

Front

Destructive interference Noun

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[dih-struhk-tiv in-ter-feer-uhns]

Back

Destructive interference

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The interference of waves that are out of phase, resulting in cancellation and a dark band of light or no wave.

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Example: When waves from two sources overlap, their crests and troughs can cancel each other out at specific points, resulting in destructive interference.

Front

Monochromatic light Noun

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[mon-oh-kroh-mat-ik lite]

Back

Monochromatic light

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Light that consists of only one wavelength and therefore one specific color, often produced by lasers or specific filters.

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Example: This diagram compares sunlight (many colors) with monochromatic light (one color), showing how light from an LED or laser consists of a single wavelength.