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Chapter 14

Wave phenomena

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

In this chapter you will learn how to:

●identify wavefronts and rays

●apply the laws of reflection and refraction

●apply the principle of superposition

●qualitatively describe diffraction, the spreading of a wave through openings and past obstacles

●understand the phenomenon of interference from two sources

●understand Young’s 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?