![]() When a beam of light passes through a slit with a size comparable to the wavelength of the incident beam - the beam bends (or diffracts) around the slit. Waves also show a characteristic behavior called diffraction. This is known as destructive interference. In this case, the two waves interacting are in phase with each other.Īlternatively, if the two waves coincide and interact in a way such that the trough of one wave coincides with the peak of the other (in an out of phase manner), the resultant wave will display a much lower amplitude. This is known as constructive interference. When two electromagnetic waves interact with their peaks and troughs coinciding, a resulting wave with enhanced amplitude is produced. Interference is a characteristic phenomenon exhibited by waves. ![]() This double-slit experiment demonstrates the wave nature of light. The destructive interference creates a dark region.ĭepending on the distances traveled by the waves, an interference pattern of alternating bright and dark lines is formed. This is observed by the appearance of a bright line.Ī small distance away from the center, in either direction, one wave travels a slightly longer distance than the other wave and they become ‘out of phase’. When the two waves travel the same distance, they interfere constructively. These waves interfere with each other to create a pattern. When light is emitted, the wave passes through the pair of closely spaced slits, and two diffracted waves emerge. The opening in the barrier is similar in size to the wavelength.Īs the wave passes through, it bends around the corners of the opening and spreads out in different directions.īut how do waves behave when there are two or more apertures in the barrier? This can be observed using a light source. Take a top view perspective of a wave - so that the crests are represented by vertical lines - and imagine that it is traveling towards a barrier with a narrow aperture. When the trough of one wave completely overlaps with the crest of the other, the waves cancel each other.ĭiffraction is another characteristic behavior of waves. In this case, the resultant wave has a lower amplitude. If the two waves do not align - so that their crests are in opposite directions - they are ‘out of phase’. As these waves interact, their amplitudes add up and a wave with increased amplitude is produced. When the crests of two waves are aligned, they are ‘in phase’. A unique property of waves is that when they come in contact with each other, they interact in such a way that the resultant wave has either an enhanced or diminished amplitude.
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