What is light?
Light is a type of electromagnetic wave that can be seen with the human eye.
What is diffraction?
Diffraction is the process in which a wave bends around a corner or aperture.
What is intensity?
Light intensity is the amount of light produced by a light source or the brightness of a light.
What is wavelength?
The wavelength of a wave is the distance between the two closest in-phase sections of the wave.
What is frequency?
The frequency of a wave is the number of cycles of a wave per unit time.
What is amplitude?
The amplitude of a wave is the distance from the resting position of the wave to the crest or the trough of the wave.
What is interference?
Interference is a phenomenon in which two waves combine in space and time.
What is constructive interference?
Constructive interference occurs when two or more in-phase waves interact and the resultant wave is larger than either of the original waves.
What is destructive interference?
Destructive interference occurs when two or more opposite phase waves interact and the resultant wave is smaller than either of the original waves.
What is a diffraction grating?
A diffraction grating is an optical device that divides light into its constituent wavelengths. Gratings are made of glass or metal and have very close lines that separate the light.
What is the difference between slit width and slid separation?
The slit width is the size of the opening for one slit. Slit separation is the distance separating two or more slits on a diffraction grating.
What is “in-phase”?
In-phase waves are two or more waves that have the same frequency and are perfectly aligned so the peak of one wave occurs at the same time as the peak of the other waves.
What is “out-of-phase”?
Out-of-phase waves are two or more waves that have the same frequency and are aligned so the peak of one wave occurs at the same time as the trough of the other waves.
Can you make light waves bend around an obstacle? In this simulation, you’ll investigate the various properties of light and obstacles that impact light’s ability to bend the wave. Get started now investigating the diffraction of light.
