301

 Chapter 14
Wave phenomena
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
In this chapter you will learn how to:
âidentify wavefronts and rays
âapply the laws of reflection and refraction
âapply the principle of superposition
âqualitatively describe diffraction, the spreading of a wave through openings and past obstacles
âunderstand the phenomenon of interference from two sources
âunderstand Youngâs two-slit experiment
identify the effect of the slit width and of the wavelength on the single slit diffraction pattern
describe how the single-slit diffraction pattern modulates the two-slit intensity pattern
describe the changes in the interference pattern as the number of slits increases
solve problems with the diffraction grating equation
GUIDING QUESTIONS
What do interference and diffraction tell us about the nature of light?