24 Questions
What is the primary function of the cladding in an optical fiber?
To reduce the refractive index difference between the core and the surrounding environment
What is the name of the phenomenon that occurs when waves encounter obstacles or pass through small openings, causing them to spread out?
Diffraction
What is the term for the dependence of light's speed on its wavelength in a medium?
Dispersion
What is the condition required for observable interference patterns to occur?
Waves must have the same frequency and a fixed phase relationship
What is the term for the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another?
Refraction
What type of interference occurs when two waves are completely out of phase (by λ/2 or λ/2)?
Destructive Interference
What is a characteristic of a wave that distinguishes it from the transportation of matter?
It transfers energy but not matter
What is the primary characteristic of electromagnetic radiation?
It consists of interacting electric and magnetic fields that propagate at the speed of light
What determines the speed of a wave in a given medium?
The wavelength and frequency of the wave
What is the concept behind the construction of a new wave front based on the previous wave front’s knowledge?
Huygens' principle
What occurs when light travels from one medium to another and changes direction due to a change in speed?
Refraction
What is the relationship between electric and magnetic fields in electromagnetic waves?
Electric and magnetic fields are perpendicular to each other and oscillate in phase
What is the critical angle in total internal reflection?
The angle beyond which all light is reflected back into the denser medium
What is the direction of wave propagation in electromagnetic waves?
Perpendicular to both electric and magnetic fields
What determines the optical density of a medium?
The ability of the medium to absorb the energy of an electromagnetic wave
What is the condition for generating electromagnetic waves?
Periodically accelerating charges
What type of reflection occurs when light reflects off a rough surface and scatters in various directions?
Diffuse reflection
What is the summary of Maxwell's work on electromagnetic radiation?
A changing magnetic field induces an electric field, and a changing electric field induces a magnetic field
What is the primary reason why the number of nodal lines increases as the frequency of the sources increases?
The wavelength of the sources decreases
What is the concept that explains why we can hear sounds even when the source is not directly visible?
Diffraction of sound waves
According to Newton's particle theory of light, what is the primary characteristic of light particles?
They have maximum velocity and kinetic energy
What is the principle that supports the wave theory of light?
Huygens' Principle
What is the result of changing the relative phase of the sources in a two-source interference pattern?
The position of the nodal lines changes
What is the principle used to determine the wavelength and other properties of waves from measurements of angles and distances in interference patterns?
The theory of triangles
This quiz covers the basics of waves, including seismic, sound, and light waves, and how their speed is determined by the medium and type. It also touches on the law of reflection.
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