3/2/2017 WavelikeBehaviorsofLight

WavelikeBehaviorsofLight
WavelikeBehaviorsofLight
TwoPointSourceInterference
ThinFilmInterference
Polarization

Anageolddebatethathaspersistedamongscientistsisrelatedtothequestion,"Islightawaveora
streamofparticles?"Verynoteworthyanddistinguishedphysicistshavetakenupeachsideofthe
argument,providingawealthofevidenceforeachside.Thefactisthatlightexhibitsbehaviorsthatare
characteristicofbothwavesandparticles.InthisunitofThePhysicsClassroomTutorial,thefocuswill
beonthewavelikenatureoflight.
Lightexhibitscertainbehaviorsthatarecharacteristicofanywaveandwouldbedifficulttoexplainwith
apurelyparticleview.Lightreflectsinthesamemannerthatanywavewouldreflect.Lightrefractsin
thesamemannerthatanywavewouldrefract.Lightdiffractsinthesamemannerthatanywavewould
diffract.Lightundergoesinterferenceinthesamemannerthatanywavewouldinterfere.Andlight
exhibitstheDopplereffectjustasanywavewouldexhibittheDopplereffect.Lightbehavesinaway
thatisconsistentwithourconceptualandmathematicalunderstandingofwaves.Sincelightbehaves
likeawave,onewouldhavegoodreasontobelievethatitmightbeawave.InLesson1,wewill
investigatethevarietyofbehaviors,propertiesandcharacteristicsoflightthatseemtosupportthe
wavemodeloflight.Onthispage,wewillfocusonthreespecificbehaviorsreflection,refractionand
diffraction.
Awavedoesn'tjust stop
whenitreachestheendofthemedium.Rather,awavewillundergocertain
behaviorswhenitencounterstheendofthemedium.Specifically,therewillbesomereflectionoffthe
boundaryandsometransmissionintothenewmedium.Thetransmittedwaveundergoesrefraction(or
bending)ifitapproachestheboundaryatanangle.Iftheboundaryismerelyanobstacleimplanted
withinthemedium,andifthedimensionsoftheobstaclearesmallerthanthewavelengthofthewave,
thentherewillbeverynoticeablediffractionofthewavearoundtheobject.Eachoneofthesebehaviors
reflection,refractionanddiffractionischaracterizedbyspecificconceptualprinciplesand
mathematicalequations.Thereflection,refraction,anddiffractionofwaveswerefirstintroducedinUnit
10ofThePhysicsClassroomTutorial.InUnit11ofThePhysicsClassroomTutorial,thereflection,
refraction,anddiffractionofsoundwaveswasdiscussed.Nowwewillseehowlightwavesdemonstrate
theirwavenaturebyreflection,refractionanddiffraction.

ReflectionofLightWaves
Allwavesareknowntoundergoreflectionorthebouncingoffofanobstacle.Mostpeopleare
veryaccustomedtothefactthatlightwavesalsoundergoreflection.The
reflectionoflightwavesoffofamirroredsurfaceresultsintheformationofan
image.Onecharacteristicofwavereflectionisthattheangleatwhichthewave
approachesaflatreflectingsurfaceisequaltotheangleatwhichthewaveleaves
thesurface.Thischaracteristicisobservedforwaterwavesandsoundwaves.Itis
alsoobservedforlightwaves.Light,likeanywave,followsthelawofreflection
whenbouncingoffsurfaces.ThereflectionoflightwaveswillbediscussedinmoredetailinUnit13of
ThePhysicsClassroom.Fornow,itisenoughtosaythatthereflectivebehavioroflightprovides
evidenceforthewavelikenatureoflight.

RefractionofLightWaves
Allwavesareknowntoundergorefractionwhentheypassfromonemediumtoanothermedium.That
is,whenawavefrontcrossestheboundarybetweentwomedia,thedirectionthatthewavefrontis
movingundergoesasuddenchangethepathis"bent."Thisbehaviorofwaverefractioncanbe
describedbybothconceptualandmathematicalprinciples.First,thedirectionof"bending"isdependent
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/light/Lesson1/WavelikeBehaviorsofLight 1/3
upontherelativespeedofthetwomedia.Awavewillbendonewaywhenitpassesfromamediumin
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whichittravelsslowlyintoamediuminwhichittravelsfastandifmovingfrom
a fastmedium toa slowmedium
,thewavefrontwillbendintheoppositedirection.
Second,theamountofbendingisdependentupontheactualspeedsofthetwo
mediaoneachsideoftheboundary.Theamountofbendingisameasurable
behaviorthatfollowsdistinctmathematicalequations.Theseequationsarebased
uponthespeedsofthewaveinthetwomediaandtheanglesatwhichthewave
approachesanddepartsfromtheboundary.Light,likeanywave,isknownto
refractasitpassesfromonemediumintoanothermedium.Infact,astudyofthe
refractionoflightrevealsthatitsrefractivebehaviorfollowsthesameconceptual
andmathematicalrulesthatgoverntherefractivebehaviorofotherwavessuchaswaterwavesand
soundwaves.TherefractionoflightwaveswillbediscussedinmoredetailinUnit14ofThePhysics
ClassroomTutorial.Fornow,itisenoughtosaythattherefractivebehavioroflightprovidesevidence
forthewavelikenatureoflight.

DiffractionofLightWaves
Reflectioninvolvesachangeindirectionofwaveswhentheybounceoffabarrier.Refractionofwaves
involvesachangeinthedirectionofwavesastheypassfromonemediumtoanother.
Anddiffractioninvolvesachangeindirectionofwavesastheypassthroughanopeningoraroundan
obstacleintheirpath.Waterwaveshavetheabilitytotravelaroundcorners,aroundobstaclesand
throughopenings.Soundwavesdothesame.Butwhataboutlight?Dolightwavesbendaround
obstaclesandthroughopenings?Iftheydo,thenitwouldprovidestillmoreevidencetosupportthe
beliefthatlightbehavesasawave.
Whenlightencountersanobstacleinitspath,theobstacleblocksthelightandtendstocausethe
formationofashadowintheregionbehindtheobstacle.Lightdoesnotexhibitaverynoticeableability
tobendaroundtheobstacleandfillintheregionbehinditwithlight.
Nonetheless,lightdoesdiffractaroundobstacles.Infact,ifyouobservea
shadowcarefully,youwillnoticethatitsedgesareextremelyfuzzy.
Interferenceeffectsoccurduetothediffractionoflightarounddifferentsides
oftheobject,causingtheshadowoftheobjecttobefuzzy.Thisisoften
demonstratedinaPhysicsclassroomwithalaserlightandpenny
demonstration.Lightdiffractingaroundtherightedgeofapennycan
constructivelyanddestructivelyinterferewithlightdiffractingaroundtheleft
edgeofthepenny.Theresultisthataninterferencepatterniscreatedthe
patternconsistsofalternatingringsoflightanddarkness.Suchapatternisonly
noticeableifanarrowbeamofmonochromaticlight(i.e.,singlewavelength
light)ispasseddirectedatthepenny.Thephotographattherightshowsaninterferencepattern
createdinthismanner.Since,lightwavesarediffractingaroundtheedgesofthepenny,thewavesare
brokenupintodifferentwavefrontsthatconvergeatapointonascreentoproducetheinterference
patternshowninthephotograph.Canyouexplainthisphenomenonwithastrictlyparticleviewoflight?
Thisamazingpennydiffractiondemonstrationprovidesanotherreasonwhybelievingthatlighthasa
wavelikenaturemakescents(Imean"sense").Theseinterferenceeffectswillbediscussedinmore
detaillaterinthislesson.

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http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/light/Lesson1/WavelikeBehaviorsofLight 3/3