Deck 24: Wave Optics

Question 1

In a Young's double-slit interference apparatus,by what factor is the distance between adjacent light and dark fringes changed when the separation between slits is quadrupled?

A) 1/16
B) 1/4
C) 1
D) 4
E) ​16

Answer 1

1/4

Question 2

If the 4th order fringe in Young's double-slit experiment occurs at an angle of 53.5°,what is the relationship between the wavelength λ and the distance between slits,d?

A) d = 3.21 λ
B) d = 19.9 λ
C) d = 4.98 λ
D) d = 6.33 λ
E) ​d = 0.20 λ

Answer 2

d = 4.98 λ

Question 3

After light from a source passes through two slits,a first order bright spot is seen on the wall at point P.Which distance is equal to the wavelength of the light?

A) the extra distance one beam must travel
B) the distance between beams as they leave the slit
C) the distance of point P from the central point of the interference pattern
D) the distance between slits

Answer 3

the extra distance one beam must travel

Question 4

Two narrow slits are 0.022 mm apart.When a laser shines on them,bright fringes form on a screen that is a meter away.These fringes are 2.7 cm apart.What is the separation between the second order bright fringe and the central fringe?

A) 0.6 cm
B) 5.4 cm
C) 5.3 cm
D) 7.3 cm
E) ​2.9 cm

Question 5

In a Young's double-slit interference apparatus,by what factor is the distance between adjacent light and dark fringes changed when the wavelength of the source is quadrupled?

A) 1/16
B) 1/4
C) 1
D) 4
E) ​16

Question 6

That light can undergo interference is evidence that it:

A) has electric properties.
B) is made of corpuscles.
C) behaves like a wave.
D) has a phase of 180°.

Question 7

A light source simultaneously emits light of two wavelengths,581 nm and 545 nm,respectively.The source is used in a double-slit interference experiment where the slit spacing is a 0.0441 mm,and the distance between double slits and the screen is 1.70 m.What is the separation between the second-order bright fringes of the two wavelengths as they appear on the screen? (1 nm = 10−⁹ m)

A) 0.14 cm
B) 0.07 cm
C) 0.28 cm
D) 0.73 cm
E) ​8.68 cm

Question 8

In order to produce a sustained interference pattern by light waves from multiple sources,which of the following conditions must be met?

A) Sources are coherent.
B) Sources are monochromatic.
C) Both choices above are valid.
D) None of the choices above are valid.

Question 9

Interference effects observed in the early 1800s were instrumental in supporting a concept of the existence of which property of light?

A) polarization
B) particle nature
C) wave nature
D) electromagnetic character

Question 10

Two beams of coherent light are shining on the same piece of white paper.With respect to the crests and troughs of such waves,darkness will occur on the paper where:

A) the crest from one wave overlaps with the crest from the other.
B) the crest from one wave overlaps with the trough from the other.
C) the troughs from both waves overlap.
D) darkness cannot occur as the two waves are coherent.

Question 11

A Young's double-slit apparatus is set up so that a screen is positioned 1.8 m from the double slits,and the spacing between the two slits is 0.048 mm.What is the distance between alternating bright fringes on the screen if the light source has a wavelength of 689 nm? (1 nm = 10−⁹ m)

A) 0.0002 m
B) 0.026 m
C) 0.014 m
D) 0.060 m
E) ​0.018 m

Question 12

In a Young's experiment,the paths from the slits to a point on the screen differ in length causing constructive interference at the point.Which of the following path difference would cause this constructive interference?

A) 5λ/2
B) 3λ/4
C) 4λ
D) None of the above.

Question 13

A Young's interference experiment is conducted with Blue argon laser light (λ = 499 nm).The separation between the slits is 0.60 mm,and the interference pattern appears on a screen 4.3 m away.What is the spacing between the bright fringes? (1 nm = 10−⁹ m)

A) 3.0 mm
B) 3.6 mm
C) 12 mm
D) 7.2 mm
E) ​2.1 mm

Question 14

A Young's double-slit apparatus is set up.The source wavelength is 442 nm,and the double-slit spacing is 0.0404 mm.At what distance from the double slits should the screen be placed if the spacing between alternating bright fringes is to be 2.80 cm? (1 nm = 10−⁹ m)

A) 256 m
B) 2.56 m
C) 0.326 m
D) 234 m
E) ​2.56 m

Question 15

Waves from a radio station with a wavelength of 761 m arrive at a home receiver a distance 50 km away from the transmitter by two paths.One is a direct-line path and the second by reflection from a mountain directly behind the receiver.What is the minimum distance between the mountain and receiver such that destructive interference occurs at the location of the listener? Assume no phase change on reflection.

A) 190 m
B) 381 m
C) 571 m
D) 761 m
E) ​1522 m

Question 16

A Young's double slit has a slit separation of 1.9 × 10−⁵ m on which a monochromatic light beam is directed.The resultant bright fringes on a screen 0.8 m from the double slit are separated by 2.3 × 10−² m.What is the wavelength of this beam? (1 nm = 10−⁹ m)

A) 16 nm
B) 287 nm
C) 546 nm
D) 546 nm.
E) ​350 nm

Question 17

If a wave from one slit of a Young's double-slit set-up arrives at a point on the screen one wavelength behind the wave from the other slit,what is observed at that point?

A) dark fringe
B) bright fringe
C) multi-colored fringe
D) gray fringe,neither dark nor bright

Question 18

A Young's double-slit apparatus is set up where a screen is positioned 1.2 m from the double slits.If the distance between alternating bright fringes is 0.89 cm,and the light source has a wavelength of 576 nm,what is the separation of the double slits? (1 nm = 10−⁹ m)

A) 1.0E-2 m
B) 7.8E-5 m
C) 6.7E-6 m
D) 8.3E-5 m
E) ​4.3E-9 m

Question 19

In a Young's double-slit interference apparatus,the distance from the slits to the screen is tripled.The distance between adjacent light and dark fringes changes by a factor of:

A) 1/9.
B) 1/3.
C) 1.
D) 3.
E) ​9.

Question 20

A Young's double-slit apparatus is set up.A screen is positioned 1.50 m from the double slits,and the spacing between the two slits is 0.0392 mm.The distance between alternating bright fringes is 1.48 cm.What is the light source wavelength? (1 nm = 10−⁹ m)

A) 382 nm
B) 383 nm
C) 352 nm
D) 387 nm
E) ​318 nm

Question 21

What wavelength monochromatic source in the visible region (390 to 710 nm)can be used to constructively reflect off a soap film (n = 1.46)if the film is 108 nm thick?

A) 620 nm
B) 579 nm
C) 631 nm
D) 585 nm
E) ​566 nm

Question 22

Light of wavelength 684 nm shines on a soap bubble film (n = 1.46).For what soap film thickness,other than the minimum thickness,will constructive interference occur?

A) 117 nm
B) 468 nm
C) 1248 nm
D) 586 nm
E) ​1171 nm

Question 23

A silicon monoxide (n = 1.45)film of 101.7 nm thickness is used to coat a glass camera lens (n = 1.56).What wavelength of light in the visible region (390 to 710 nm)will be most efficiently transmitted by this system? (1 nm = 10−⁹ m)

A) 472 nm
B) 697 nm
C) 649 nm
D) 590 nm
E) ​413 nm

Question 24

Light is reflecting off a wedge-shaped thin piece of glass producing bright and dark interference fringes.If a certain location has a bright fringe,a nearby point will have a dark fringe if the thickness of the glass increases by:

A) 1/8 of a wavelength of the light.
B) 1/4 of a wavelength of the light.
C) 1/2 of a wavelength of the light.
D) one wavelength of the light.

Question 25

The center spot of Newton's rings is dark.This destructive interference occurs because:

A) the two beams travel distances that are different by half a wavelength.
B) both waves change phase by 180° as they are reflected.
C) one beam changes phase by 180° when it is reflected.
D) both waves have a trough.

Question 26

In a Young's double-slit experiment,how many maxima occur between the 5^th order maxima?

A) 8
B) 9
C) 10
D) ​25
E) ​Three more than the number of minima.

Question 27

A beam of light of wavelength 633 nm is incident along the normal to two closely spaced parallel glass plates.For what air gap separation between the plates will the transmitted beam be of maximum intensity? (1 nm = 10−⁹ m)

A) 158 nm
B) 633 nm
C) 317 nm
D) 79 nm
E) ​475 nm

Question 28

What is the minimum thickness of a glycerin film (n = 1.47)on which light of wavelength 688 nm shines that results in constructive interference of the reflected light? Assume the film is surrounded front and back by air.

A) 234 nm
B) 117 nm
C) 253 nm
D) 506 nm
E) ​126 nm

Question 29

The dark spot observed in the center of a Newton's rings pattern is attributed to which of the following?

A) polarization of light when reflected
B) polarization of light when refracted
C) phase shift of light when reflected
D) phase shift of light when refracted

Question 30

Two flat glass plates are in contact along one end and are separated by a sheet of paper 5.0 × 10−⁶ m thick at the other end.The top plate is illuminated by a monochromatic light source of wavelength 399 nm.How many dark parallel bands will be evident across the top plate? (1 nm = 10−⁹ m)

A) 13
B) 23
C) 12
D) 25
E) ​21

Question 31

A silicon monoxide (n = 1.45)film of 288.9 nm thickness is used to coat a glass camera lens (n = 1.56).What wavelength of light in the visible region (390 to 710 nm)will be most efficiently transmitted by this system? (1 nm = 10−⁹ m)

A) 419 nm
B) 447 nm
C) 559 nm
D) 473 nm
E) ​660 nm

Question 32

The blue tint of a coated camera lens is largely caused by what effects?

A) diffraction
B) refraction
C) polarization
D) interference

Question 33

A silicon monoxide thin film (n = 1.45)of thickness 73.8 nm is applied to a camera lens made of glass (n = 1.55).This will result in a destructive interference for reflected light of what wavelength?

A) 571 nm
B) 342 nm
C) 428 nm
D) 310 nm
E) ​535 nm

Question 34

When light shines on a lens placed on a flat piece of glass,interference occurs which causes circular fringes called Newton's rings.The two beams that are interfering come:

A) from the top and bottom surface of the lens.
B) from the top surface of the lens and the top surface of the piece of glass.
C) from the bottom surface of the lens and the top surface of the piece of glass.
D) from the top and bottom surface of the flat piece of glass.

Question 35

When light passes from a material with a high index of refraction into material with a low index of refraction:

A) none of the light is reflected.
B) some light is reflected without a change of phase.
C) some light is reflected with a 180° change of phase.
D) the light that is not reflected has a 180° change of phase.

Question 36

Two flat glass plates are in contact along one end and are separated by a sheet of tissue paper at the other end.A monochromatic source of wavelength 509 nm illuminates the top plate.If 11 dark bands are counted across the top plate,what is the paper thickness? (1 nm = 10−⁹ m)

A) 5.1 × 10−⁶ m
B) 2.0 × 10−⁶ m
C) 2.5 × 10−⁶ m
D) 3.1 × 10−⁶ m
E) ​1.5 × 10−⁶ m

Question 37

Laser light sent through a double slit produces an interference patter on a screen 3.00 m from the slits.If the tenth order maximum occurs at an angle of 41.9°,at what angle does the third order maximum occur?

A) No third order maximum occurs.
B) 0.20°
C) 11.6°
D) 12.6°
E) ​Not enough information is given.

Question 38

Two closely spaced parallel glass plates are separated by 850 nm.What wavelength light source in the visible region (390 nm to 710 nm)will experience maximum transmission through the two plates?

A) 425 nm
B) 489 nm
C) 422 nm
D) 512 nm
E) ​474 nm

Question 39

In a Young's experiment,the paths from the slits to a point on the screen differ in length,causing destructive interference at the point.Which of the following path difference would cause this destructive interference?

A) 5λ/2
B) 3λ/4
C) 4λ
D) None of the above.

Question 40

What wavelength monochromatic source in the visible region (390 to 710 nm)can be used to constructively reflect off a soap film (n = 1.46)if the film is 222 nm thick?

A) 432 nm
B) 410 nm
C) 473 nm
D) 482 nm
E) ​436 nm

Question 41

What is the highest order maximum for wavelength 429 nm that can be obtained with a grating with 396 lines per mm?

A) 5
B) 11
C) 6
D) 34
E) ​4

Question 42

A hair is placed at one edge between two flat glass plates.When this arrangement is illuminated with violet light of wavelength (λ = 408 nm),a total of 109 dark bands are counted starting at the point of contact between the plates.How thick is the hair? (1 nm = 10−⁹ m)

A) 2.2 × 10−⁵ m
B) 4.4 × 10−⁵ m
C) 2.4 × 10−⁴ m
D) 3.3 × 10−⁴ m
E) ​1.1 × 10−⁵ m

Question 43

Newton's rings:

A) are a sound that light can cause.
B) require oil to occur.
C) are a result of Fraunhofer diffraction.
D) are an interference phenomenon.

Question 44

Helium-neon laser light (λ = 632.8 nm)is sent through a single slit of width 0.56 mm.What is the width of the central maximum on a screen 1.5 m in back of the slit? (1 nm = 10−⁹ m)

A) 1.7 mm
B) 0.8 mm
C) 3.4 mm
D) 2.5 mm
E) ​5.1 mm

Question 45

A surface is coated with a material having index of refraction 1.69.If light in air has a wavelength of 388 nm and is normally incident on this surface,and it is found through interference effects with this light that the surface is 19 wavelengths thick,which of the following is the thickness of the surface?

A) 0.012 μm
B) 4.4 μm
C) 2.2 μm
D) 1.1 μm
E) ​35 μm

Question 46

Dielectric mirrors are made to have extremely high reflectance

A) by stacking thin layers of a single dielectric material on a glass backing so that the reflections from the surfaces of the layers undergoconstructive interference.
B) by stacking thin layers of a single dielectric material on a glass backing so that the reflections from the surfaces of the layers undergo destructive interference.
C) by stacking thin layers of different dielectric materials on a glass backing so that the reflections from the surfaces of the layers undergo constructive interference.
D) by stacking thin layers of different dielectric materials on a glass backing so that the reflections from the surfaces of the layers undergo destructive interference.

Question 47

A diffraction grating with 9,250 lines/cm will exhibit the first order maximum for light of wavelength 503 nm at what angle? (1 nm = 10−⁹ m)

A) 0.48°
B) 0.27°
C) 55.5°
D) 27.7°
E) ​13.4°

Question 48

Upon reflection,light undergoes a 180° phase change:

A) always.
B) if the incident medium has the higher index of refraction.
C) if the incident medium has the lower index of refraction.
D) whenever the incident angle is less than the critical angle.

Question 49

Light of wavelength 627 nm is incident on a slit of width 0.51 mm,and a diffraction pattern is produced on a screen that is 1.9 m from the slit.What is the distance of the second dark fringe from the center of the bright fringe? (1 nm = 10−⁹ m)

A) 0.23 cm
B) 0.47 cm
C) 0.92 cm
D) 0.89 cm
E) ​0.93 cm

Question 50

A multiple slit diffraction grating has a slit separation of 2.37 × 10−⁶ m.Find the wavelength of the monochromatic light that will have its second order bright fringe diffracted through an angle of 27.7°.(1 nm = 10−⁹ m)

A) 358 nm
B) 644 nm
C) 551 nm
D) 367 nm
E) ​275 nm

Question 51

A Fraunhofer diffraction pattern is created by monochromatic light shining through which of the following?

A) single slit
B) double slit
C) triple slit
D) more than 3 slits

Question 52

A possible means for making an airplane radar-invisible is to coat the plane with an antireflective polymer.If radar waves have a wavelength of 3.6 cm,and the index of refraction of the polymer is n = 1.6,how thick would the coating be if a 180° phase change occurs at both surfaces?

A) 11 mm
B) 23 mm
C) 5.6 mm
D) 2.8 mm
E) ​14 mm

Question 53

Light of wavelength 407 nm is incident on a slit of width 0.12 mm,and a diffraction pattern is produced on a screen that is 1.50 m from the slit.What is the width of the central bright fringe? (1 nm = 10−⁹ m)

A) 0.51 cm
B) 1.02 cm
C) 10.2 cm
D) 1.53 cm
E) ​15.3 cm

Question 54

A soap bubble (n = 1.35)is floating in air.If the thickness of the bubble wall is 320 nm,which of the following wavelengths of visible light is strongly reflected?

A) 543 nm (green)
B) 612 nm (orange)
C) 576 nm (yellow)
D) 661 nm (red)
E) ​392 nm (violet)

Question 55

At what angle will the highest order maximum appear for a wavelength 470 nm using a grating with 459 lines per mm?

A) 40°
B) 60°
C) 1.04°
D) 63°
E) ​90°

Question 56

In the straight-ahead direction (θ = 0°)in Fraunhofer diffraction,which of the following is observed on the screen?

A) a minimum equal in width to the adjacent minima
B) a minimum double in width to the adjacent minima
C) a maximum equal in width to the adjacent maxima
D) a maximum double in width to the adjacent maxima

Question 57

A Fraunhofer diffraction pattern is produced from a light source of wavelength 671 nm.The light goes through a single slit and onto a screen 1.9 m away.The first dark fringe is 6.1 mm from the central bright fringe.What is the slit width? (1 nm = 10−⁹ m)

A) 0.42 mm
B) 0.21 mm
C) 0.07 mm
D) 0.31 mm
E) ​0.034 mm

Question 58

"Perfect mirrors" are made by

A) coating a glass surface with an extremely pure layer of silver or aluminum.
B) coating a glass surface with an extremely pure layer of silver or aluminum and then coating the metal surface with a quarter-wavelength thickness of the dielectric magnesium fluoride.
C) stacking thin layers of different dielectric materials on a glass surface.
D) heating an ordinary mirror almost to its melting point.

Question 59

A puddle of water (n = 1.33)is covered with a very thin layer of oil (n = 1.20).How thick is the oil in the region that strongly reflects light with a wavelength of 636 nm?

A) 133 nm
B) 265 nm
C) 530 nm
D) 353 nm
E) ​286 nm

Question 60

Two thin layers of material with different indices of refraction are coated on a glass plate.The outer first material has n₁ = 1.240,the inner second material has n₂ = 1.550,and the glass has n_glass = 1.62.If light is incident from air on the first layer,what is the phase change for light that reflects from the glass?

A) 180°
B) 0°
C) 360°
D) 540°
E) ​720°

Question 61

A material is optically active if it:

A) absorbs light passing through it.
B) transmits all light passing through it.
C) exhibits interference.
D) rotates the plane of polarization of the light passing through it.

Question 62

A wavelength of 465 nm yields a first order maximum at 26.6° with a grating.At what angle will the third order maximum appear for this wavelength?

A) 13°
B) 90°
C) -26.6°
D) No third order maximum exists in this case.
E) ​1.50°

Question 63

A beam of polarized light of intensity I₀ passes through a sheet of ideal polarizing material.The polarization axis of the beam and the transmission axis of the sheet differ by 10°.What is the intensity of the emerging light?

A) 0.98 I₀
B) 0.97 I₀
C) 0.70 I₀
D) 1.00 I₀
E) ​0.84 I₀

Question 64

Polarization of light can be achieved using a dichroic material like Polaroid by which of the following processes?

A) reflection
B) double refraction
C) selective absorption
D) scattering

Question 65

The critical angle for sapphire surrounded by air is 34.4°.Calculate the polarizing angle for sapphire.

A) 60.5°
B) 59.7°
C) 58.6°
D) 56.3°

Question 66

Unpolarized light of intensity I₀ passes through two sheets of ideal polarizing material.If the transmitted intensity is 0.33 I₀,what is the angle between the polarizer and the analyzer?

A) 55°
B) 36°
C) 49°
D) 71°
E) ​0.62°

Question 67

Sunlight reflected from a smooth ice surface is completely polarized.Determine the angle of incidence.(n_ice = 1.309)

A) 25.60°
B) 47.89°
C) 52.62°
D) 56.26°

Question 68

A diffraction grating has 6000 lines/cm.What is the slit separation?

A) 6.0 μm
B) 1.7 μm
C) 167 nm
D) 600 nm
E) ​Not enough information

Question 69

A beam of unpolarized light in air strikes a flat piece of glass at an angle of incidence of 51.6°.If the reflected beam is completely polarized,what is the index of refraction of the glass?

A) 1.59
B) 1.26
C) 1.61
D) 1.47
E) ​1.90

Question 70

The blue light from the sky has been polarized by:

A) selective absorption.
B) reflection.
C) double refraction.
D) scattering.

Question 71

The intensity of unpolarized light passing through a single sheet of polarizing material changes by a factor of:

A) 1.
B) 0.5.
C) cos θ.
D) cos² θ.

Question 72

Polaroid sunglasses help when skiing on snow on a sunny day by reducing the sunlight from the snow.This light from the snow has been polarized by:

A) selective absorption.
B) reflection.
C) double refraction.
D) scattering.

Question 73

An unpolarized beam of light is incident on a pane of glass (n = 1.36)such that the reflected component coming off the glass is completely polarized.What is the angle of incidence in this case?

A) 42.7°
B) 6.53°
C) 0.94°
D) 53.7°
E) ​47.4°

Question 74

Unpolarized light is passed through polarizer 1.The light then goes though polarizer 2 with its plane of polarization at 39.8° to that of polarizer 1.Polarizer 3 is placed after polarizer 2.Polarizer 3 has its plane of polarization at 30.8° to the plane of polarization of polarizer 2 and at 70.6° to that of polarizer 1.What fraction of the intensity of the original light gets though the last polarizer?

A) 0.436
B) 0.664
C) 0.332
D) 0.218
E) ​0.085

Question 75

When the sun is located near one of the horizons,an observer looking at the sky directly overhead will view partially polarized light.This effect is due to which of the following processes?

A) reflection
B) double refraction
C) selective absorption
D) scattering

Question 76

Unpolarized light is passed through polarizer 1.The light then goes though polarizer 2 with its plane of polarization at 30.7° to that of polarizer 1.What fraction of the intensity of the original light gets though the second polarizer?

A) 0.430
B) 0.740
C) 0.370
D) 0.860
E) ​0.285

Question 77

If the polarizing angle for diamond is 67.5°,what is the index of refraction of this material?

A) 2.00
B) 2.20
C) 2.41
D) 2.65

Question 78

How far above the horizon is the moon when its image reflected in calm water is completely polarized? (n_water = 1.333)

A) 53.12°
B) 18.44°
C) 22.20°
D) 36.88°

Question 79

At what angle is the sun above the horizon if its light is found to be completely polarized when it is reflected from the top surface of a slab of glass (n = 1.63)?

A) 31.5°
B) 58.5°
C) 0.55°
D) 37.8°
E) ​52.2°

Question 80

At what angle will the sixth order maximum occur for a wavelength of 447 nm using a diffraction grating with 7,250 lines per cm?

A) 30°
B) 90°
C) No sixth order maximum will occur in this case.
D) 1.57°
E) ​11.1°