Short Question Answer of Interference

INTERFERENCE
Short Answered Questions

1. Explain interference by division of amplitude.
Answer: The wave train is optically divided into two or several wave trains by means
of partial reflection at the surface of thin film. In this case, the entire wave front is
partially reflected or refracted, but the amplitude of the parent wave front gets divided.
This technique is known as division of amplitude as the amplitude and therefore the
intensity of the original wave train get divided. Light rays incident on a thin transparent
film undergo reflection from the upper and lower surfaces of the film and travel along
different paths. These rays are then reunited to produce interference.
2. What do you mean by thin film and thick film?
Answer: A film is said to be thin when its thickness is about the order of one
wavelength of visible light. A thin film may be a thin sheet of transparent material such
as glass, mica, an air film enclosed between two transparent sheets or soap bubbles.
If the thickness of the film is large in comparison to the wavelength of the visible light
(about 100 m), then it is considered as a thick film.
3. Why does an extremely thin film appear dark in reflected light?
Answer: Light rays incident on a thin transparent film undergo reflection from the
upper and lower surfaces of the film and travel along different paths. These rays are
then reunited to produce interference. The path difference between the light rays
reflected from the upper and lower surface of the thin film is:
2tcosr ± /2
Where,  → refractive index of the film
 → the wavelength of the incident ray
t → thickness of the film
r → angle of refraction.
If the film is exceedingly thin, i.e.., t << , then one can approximate that t as zero.
Then the path difference is approximately equal to /2, which satisfy the condition for
destructive interference for all the wavelengths. Therefore all wavelengths will be
absent in reflected system, hence film will appear dark.in reflected light.
4. Why does a thick film appear uniformly illuminated?
Answer: In order to obtain a steady interference pattern, there should be definite

phase relationship between the waves reflected from the upper surface of the film
and from the lower surface of the film. Thus the path difference (=2tcosr) should
be less as compared to the coherence length. If a thick film is used, then the path
difference becomes large and comparable to coherence length. The rays reflected
from upper surface of the thick film and the lower surface of the thick film do not
remain coherent with each other. So, no steady interference will be produced, and
the thick film will appear uniformly illuminated.
(Note: If a source remain coherent for a time c sec, then the coherence length will
(L) will be about cc where c is the speed of light in free space.).
5. Why does the interference pattern observed in reflected light is well-defined while in
transmitted it is not so well-defined for a thin film?
Answer: The amplitude of superposing waves in reflected pattern are nearly same.
A nearly zero intensity fringe is produced due to destructive interference. Hence a
good contrast in the fringe pattern is obtained in reflected light and the interference
pattern is well defined. There is a large difference in amplitude of the superposing
waves in transmitted pattern. So, a nearly zero intensity fringe is not produced due
to destructive interference, the fringe produced due to destructive interference has
appreciable brightness. Hence, the contrast in the fringe pattern in transmitted light
is poor and the interference pattern in transmitted light is not well defined.
6. Why colors which are present in the reflected light are absent in the transmitted light
in case of thin film interference?
Answer: An extra phase change of π or path difference of /2 occurs in reflected

system of thin film interference, whereas there is no such extra phase difference or
path difference in the transmitted system. Thus the conditions of maxima and
minima in the transmitted system are reversed in case of reflected system. Hence
the colours suppressed or absent in reflected pattern appear as intense colors in
transmitted light or colors of reflected and transmitted patterns are complementary.
7. Why the central spot appears dark in Newton’s rings interference pattern when viewed
in reflected light?
Answer: The path difference is:
2tcos(r+) ± /2
where,  → refractive index of the film

 → the wavelength of the incident ray
t → thickness of the film
r → angle of refraction
 → angle of wedge
For the air film  = 1, for normal incidence r = 0, and for a lens of large radius of
curvature,  ≈ 0.
The path difference between 1 and 2 = 2t  
2
At point of contact of the lens and the plate, t ≈ 0;
The path Difference = /2
This is condition for destructive interference. Hence the central spot is dark.
8. Describe the conditions under which the central spot of Newton’s ring in reflected light
is bright.
Answer: If the air film is replaced by a transparent liquid of refractive index µ 2 such
that µ1 < µ2 < µ3 where µ1 is the refractive index of the plano-convex lens and µ3 is the
refractive index of the glass plate, then the central spot of Newton’s ring in reflected
light is bright. This is because there will be a phase change of π for both the rays which
are reflected from the top and bottom of the liquid film, Hence the path difference is
2µt. At the centre, the thickness of the film is nearly zero, so the path difference is zero
which is a condition of constructive interference
9. Why do we get circular fringes in Newton’s ring set up?
Answer: In Newton’s rings set up, each fringe is the locus of points of equal
thickness of the film as the optical path difference depends only on the thickness of
the film. In Newton’s rings, the locus of points of equal thickness of air film lie on
a circle with the point of contact as centre. Hence fringes are circular and
concentric.
10. What changes will you observe in the Newton’s ring fringe pattern if monochromatic
light is replaced by white light?
Answer: If monochromatic light is replaced by white light in Newton’s rings

experiment, a few colored rings around a black centre are observed and beyond it a
uniform illumination is obtained. This is because the diameter of the ring is directly
proportional to square root of wavelength as and white light is composed of a
number of colours, diameter of different rings will be different. In ring pattern violet
ring will be the innermost and red ring will be the outermost and due to overlapping
of rings of different colours only first few rings will be clearly visible.
11. Why do we require lens of large radius of curvature in Newton’s rings experiment?
Answer: Interference takes place between rays reflected from curved surface of
lens and top surface of glass plate. They are very close to each other as lens has
large radius of curvature, which make the film thickness very small. Also as the
diameters of rings (bright or dark) are directly proportional to the square root of the
radius of curvature, R of the lens, a well-defined ring pattern will be observed.

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INTERFERENCE

Short Answered Questions

2. What do you mean by thin film and thick film?

3. Why does an extremely thin film appear dark in reflected light?

4. Why does a thick film appear uniformly illuminated?

Answer: In order to obtain a steady interference pattern, there should be definite

Answer: An extra phase change of π or path difference of /2 occurs in reflected

Answer: The path difference is:

where,  → refractive index of the film

9. Why do we get circular fringes in Newton’s ring set up?

Answer: If monochromatic light is replaced by white light in Newton’s rings

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