Intermediate Physics Examination 2025

Angular dispersion measures the separation of different colors of light (wavelengths) when passing through a prism or grating, with larger angles indicating greater spectral spread. Dispersive power quantifies the ability of a material to separate colors, determined by the ratio of angular dispersion to the average refractive index.

The Doppler effect in light is the change in frequency (color) of light emitted or absorbed by a moving object. If the object is moving towards the observer, the light appears bluer (higher frequency) and if it's moving away, it appears redder (lower frequency).

When light waves from two lamps interfere, they need to be coherent, meaning they maintain a constant phase relationship. Light from lamps is generally incoherent due to random phase changes, preventing the formation of interference patterns.

A photoelectric cell is a device that converts light energy into electrical energy. It consists of a cathode (emitter) and an anode (collector) inside an evacuated chamber. When light hits the cathode, electrons are emitted and collected by the anode, creating a photoelectric current.

The nucleus of an atom is extremely dense because it packs most of the atom's mass into a tiny space. The positively charged protons and neutrons, which have much greater mass than electrons, are tightly packed together.

Radioactive decay involves the spontaneous transformation of an unstable atomic nucleus into a more stable one by emitting particles or energy. Radioactive disintegration, on the other hand, refers to the breakdown of an atom's nucleus into smaller particles due to instability.

Coulomb's law states that the force between two point charges is directly proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. The force is attractive for opposite charges and repulsive for like charges.

A logic gate is an electronic circuit that performs a logical operation on one or more input signals. It can be used to implement decision-making and control functions in digital circuits.

A binary number is a number expressed in base 2, using only the digits 0 and 1. Each position in a binary number represents a power of 2, starting from the rightmost digit as 2^0, then 2^1, 2^2, and so on.

A truth table is a table that shows all possible input combinations for a logic gate and the corresponding output. For an OR gate, the output is true (1) if at least one input is true. Otherwise, the output is false (0).

Huygens' wave theory states that light propagates as waves, not particles. It explains phenomena like diffraction and interference, where light bends around obstacles or combines to create interference patterns.

Gauss's theorem states that the total electric flux through a closed surface is proportional to the enclosed charge. This means the net outward flow of electric field lines from a closed surface is directly proportional to the charge enclosed within it.

Biot-Savart's law states that the magnetic field produced by a current-carrying wire at a point is proportional to the current and the length of the wire element and inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the wire element to the point, and also depends on the direction of the current and the point.

A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another using magnetic induction. It works on the principle of electromagnetic induction, where a changing magnetic field in a coil induces an electromotive force (EMF) in another coil.

A compound microscope consists of two lenses: the objective lens and the eyepiece. It works by magnifying an object first with the objective lens and then again with the eyepiece. The magnifying power of the microscope is the product of the magnification of the objective lens and the eyepiece.

In Young's double-slit experiment, light waves passing through two slits interfere, creating bright and dark fringes on a screen due to constructive and destructive interference. The fringe width, or the distance between two adjacent bright or dark fringes, is directly proportional to the wavelength of light and the distance between the slits and inversely proportional to the distance between the slits and the screen.