Question 1

No fringes are seen in a single-slit diffraction pattern if:
A)the screen is far away
B)the wavelength is less than the slit width
C)the wavelength is greater than the slit width
D)the wavelength is less than the distance to the screen
E)the distance to the screen is greater than the slit width

Accepted Answer

C

Question 2

In order to obtain a single-slit diffraction pattern with a central maximum and several secondary maxima, the slit width could be: A)"$\lambda$" B)"$\lambda$/10" C)"10$\lambda$" D)"10⁴$\lambda$" E)"$\lambda$/10⁴"

Accepted Answer

C

Question 3

Monochromatic plane waves of light are incident normally on a single slit.Which one of the five figures below most correctly shows the diffraction pattern observed on a distant screen? 
A)I
B)II
C)III
D)IV
E)V

Accepted Answer

B

Question 4

The diagram shows a single slit with the direction to a point P on a distant screen (not shown).At P, the pattern has its maximum nearest the central maximum.If X and Y are the edges of the slit, what is the path length difference (PX)- (PY)? 
A)"$\lambda$/2"
B)"$\lambda$"
C)"3$\lambda$/2"
D)"2$\lambda$"
E)"5$\lambda$/2"

Accepted Answer

The answer of The diagram shows a single slit with...

Question 5

A student wishes to produce a single-slit diffraction pattern in a ripple tank experiment.He considers the following parameters:  Which two of the above should be decreased to produce more bending?
A)I, III
B)I, IV
C)II, III
D)II, IV
E)III, IV

Accepted Answer

The answer of A student wishes to produce a single-slit...

Question 6

At the first minimum adjacent to the central maximum of a single-slit diffraction pattern the phase difference between the Huygens wavelet from the top of the slit and the wavelet from the midpoint of the slit is:
A)" $\pi$/8 rad"
B)" $\pi$/4 rad"
C)" $\pi$/2 rad"
D)" $\pi$ rad"
E)"3 $\pi$/2 rad"

Accepted Answer

The answer of At the first minimum adjacent to the...

Question 7

The diagram shows a single slit with the direction to a point P on a distant screen (not shown).At P, the pattern has its second minimum (from its central maximum).If X and Y are the edges of the slit, what is the path length difference (PX)- (PY)? 
A)"$\lambda$/2"
B)"$\lambda$"
C)"3$\lambda$/2"
D)"2$\lambda$"
E)"5$\lambda$/2"

Accepted Answer

The answer of The diagram shows a single slit with...

Question 8

Diffraction plays an important role in which of the following phenomena?
A)The sun appears as a disk rather than a point to the naked eye
B)Light is bent as it passes through a glass prism
C)A cheerleader yells through a megaphone
D)A farsighted person uses eyeglasses of positive focal length
E)A thin soap film exhibits colors when illuminated with white light

Accepted Answer

The answer of Diffraction plays an important role in which...

Question 9

Sound differs from light in that sound:
A)is not subject to diffraction
B)is a torsional wave rather than a longitudinal wave
C)does not require energy for its origin
D)is a longitudinal wave rather than a transverse wave
E)is always monochromatic

Accepted Answer

Sound is a longitudinal wave, meaning that the medium it travels through is compressed and expanded in the same direction as the wave travels. Light, on the other hand, is a transverse wave, meaning that the medium it travels through oscillates perpendicular to the direction of the wave.

Question 10

In the equation sin$\theta$=$\lambda$/a for single-slit diffraction, $\theta$is:
A)the angle to the first minimum
B)the angle to the second maximum
C)the phase angle between the extreme rays
D)N $\pi$ where N is an integer
E)(N + 1/2) $\pi$ where N is an integer

Accepted Answer

The equation given is a representation of the condition for the first minimum in single-slit diffraction, where $\sin(\theta) = \frac{\lambda}{a}$. The angle $\theta$ in this context is the angle to the first minimum from the central maximum.

Question 11

The rainbow seen after a rain shower is caused by:
A)diffraction
B)interference
C)refraction
D)polarization
E)absorption

Accepted Answer

The rainbow seen after a rain shower is caused by refraction of light. When light enters a raindrop, it slows down and bends, separating the colors of the spectrum. This bending of light is called refraction, and it creates the colors of the rainbow that we see.

Question 12

Radio waves are readily diffracted around buildings whereas light waves are negligibly diffracted around buildings.This is because radio waves:
A)are plane polarized
B)have much longer wavelengths than light waves
C)have much shorter wavelengths than light waves
D)are nearly monochromatic (single frequency)
E)are amplitude modulated (AM)

Accepted Answer

Diffraction is directly proportional to wavelength. Since radio waves have much longer wavelengths than light waves, they are readily diffracted around buildings. Light waves, on the other hand, have much shorter wavelengths and are negligibly diffracted around buildings.

Question 13

When the atmosphere is not quite clear, one may sometimes see colored circles concentric with the Sun or the Moon.These are generally not more than a few diameters of the Sun or Moon and invariably the innermost ring is blue.The explanation for these phenomena involves:
A)reflection
B)refraction
C)interference
D)diffraction
E)Doppler effect

Accepted Answer

The answer of When the atmosphere is not quite clear,...

Question 14

Consider a single-slit diffraction pattern caused by a slit of width a.There is a minimum at sin$\theta$equal to:
A)exactly $\lambda$/a
B)slightly more than $\lambda$/a
C)slightly less than $\lambda$/a
D)exactly $\lambda$/2a
E)very nearly $\lambda$/2a

Accepted Answer

The first minimum in a single-slit diffraction pattern occurs at an angle $\theta$ where $sin(\theta) = \frac{\lambda}{a}$, where $\lambda$ is the wavelength of the light and $a$ is the width of the slit.

Question 15

When a highly coherent beam of light is directed against a very fine wire, the shadow formed behind it is not just that of a single wire but rather looks like the shadow of several parallel wires.The explanation of this involves:
A)refraction
B)diffraction
C)reflection
D)Doppler effect
E)an optical illusion

Accepted Answer

This effect can be explained using diffraction, where the fine wire acts as a diffracting object, causing the incident beam of light to spread out and interfere with itself, resulting in a pattern of light and dark areas on the screen behind the wire. This pattern is not just a single shadow of the wire, but rather a diffraction pattern that resembles the shadow of multiple wires.

Question 16

The shimmering or wavy lines that can often be seen near the ground on a hot day are due to:
A)Brownian movement
B)reflection
C)refraction
D)diffraction
E)dispersion

Accepted Answer

The shimmering or wavy lines near the ground on a hot day are due to the phenomenon of refraction. The hot air near the ground has different refractive indices than the cooler air above it, which causes the light to bend and create a distorted image.

Question 17

A parallel beam of monochromatic light is incident on a slit of width 2 cm.The light passing through the slit falls on a screen 2 m away.As the slit width is decreased:
A)the width of the pattern on the screen continuously decreases
B)the width of the pattern on the screen at first decreases but then increases
C)the width of the pattern on the screen increases and then decreases
D)the width of the pattern on the screen remains the same
E)the width of the pattern on the screen continuously increases

Accepted Answer

According to the diffraction formula, as the slit width decreases, the width of the diffraction pattern on the screen initially decreases. However, as the slit width approaches the wavelength of the incident light, the pattern starts to diffract more and the width of the pattern increases again. Therefore, choice B is the best answer.

Question 18

A point source of monochromatic light is placed in front of a soccer ball and a screen is placed behind the ball.The light intensity pattern on the screen is best described as:
A)a dark disk on a bright background
B)a dark disk with bright rings outside
C)a dark disk with a bright spot at its center
D)a dark disk with a bright spot at its center and bright rings outside
E)a bright disk with bright rings outside

Accepted Answer

This is a classic example of diffraction. When the light passes through the soccer ball, it diffracts and interferes with itself, creating a pattern of bright and dark regions. The central region will be a bright spot because that's where the waves are constructively interfering. However, the waves from the edges of the ball will interfere destructively, creating a dark disk. Outside of the disk, there will be bright rings because the waves are again constructively interfering. Therefore, the correct option is D.

Question 19

At the second minimum adjacent to the central maximum of a single-slit diffraction pattern the Huygens wavelet from the top of the slit is 180$\degree$ out of phase with the wavelet from:
A)a point one-fourth of the slit width from the top
B)the midpoint of the slit
C)a point one-fourth of the slit width from the bottom of the slit
D)the bottom of the slit
E)none of these

Accepted Answer

At the second minimum, the path difference between the wavelets from the top and bottom of the slit is equal to half the wavelength. To be in phase, the Huygens wavelet from the top of the slit needs to travel an extra distance compared to the wavelet from the midpoint of the slit. This extra distance is equal to one-fourth of the slit width. Therefore, the wavelet from a point one-fourth of the slit width from the top of the slit will be 180 degrees out of phase with the wavelet from the top of the slit.

Question 20

A plane wave with a wavelength of 500 nm is incident normally on a single slit with a width of 5.0 *10^-6 m.Consider waves that reach a point on a far-away screen such that rays from the slit make an angle of 1.0 $\degree$with the normal.The difference in phase for waves from the top and bottom of the slit is: A)0 rad B)0.55 rad C)1.1 rad D)1.6 rad E)2.2 rad

Accepted Answer

The answer of A plane wave with a wavelength of...

Quiz 36: Diffraction

No fringes are seen in a single-slit diffraction pattern if:

In order to obtain a single-slit diffraction pattern with a central maximum and several secondary maxima, the slit width could be:

At the first minimum adjacent to the central maximum of a single-slit diffraction pattern the phase difference between the Huygens wavelet from the top of the slit and the wavelet from the midpoint of the slit is:

Diffraction plays an important role in which of the following phenomena?

Sound differs from light in that sound:

In the equation sin $\theta$ = $\lambda$ /a for single-slit diffraction, $\theta$ is:

The rainbow seen after a rain shower is caused by:

Radio waves are readily diffracted around buildings whereas light waves are negligibly diffracted around buildings.This is because radio waves:

When the atmosphere is not quite clear, one may sometimes see colored circles concentric with the Sun or the Moon.These are generally not more than a few diameters of the Sun or Moon and invariably the innermost ring is blue.The explanation for these phenomena involves:

Consider a single-slit diffraction pattern caused by a slit of width a.There is a minimum at sin $\theta$ equal to:

When a highly coherent beam of light is directed against a very fine wire, the shadow formed behind it is not just that of a single wire but rather looks like the shadow of several parallel wires.The explanation of this involves:

The shimmering or wavy lines that can often be seen near the ground on a hot day are due to:

A parallel beam of monochromatic light is incident on a slit of width 2 cm.The light passing through the slit falls on a screen 2 m away.As the slit width is decreased:

A point source of monochromatic light is placed in front of a soccer ball and a screen is placed behind the ball.The light intensity pattern on the screen is best described as:

At the second minimum adjacent to the central maximum of a single-slit diffraction pattern the Huygens wavelet from the top of the slit is 180 $\degree$ out of phase with the wavelet from:

Quiz 36: Diffraction

No fringes are seen in a single-slit diffraction pattern if:

In order to obtain a single-slit diffraction pattern with a central maximum and several secondary maxima, the slit width could be:

Monochromatic plane waves of light are incident normally on a single slit.Which one of the five figures below most correctly shows the diffraction pattern observed on a distant screen?

The diagram shows a single slit with the direction to a point P on a distant screen (not shown) .At P, the pattern has its maximum nearest the central maximum.If X and Y are the edges of the slit, what is the path length difference (PX) - (PY) ?

A student wishes to produce a single-slit diffraction pattern in a ripple tank experiment.He considers the following parameters: Which two of the above should be decreased to produce more bending?