5/21/2017 ThePathDifference

ThePathDifference
AnatomyofaTwoPointSourceInterferencePattern
ThePathDifference
Young'sEquation
Young'sExperiment
OtherApplicationsofTwoPointSourceInterference

Twopointsourceinterferenceoccurswhenwavesfromonesourcemeetupwithwavesfromanother
source.Ifthesourceofwavesproducescircularwaves,thenthecircularwavefrontswillmeetwithinthe
mediumtoproduceapattern.Thepatternischaracterizedbyacollectionofnodesandantinodesthat
liealongnearlystraightlinesreferredtoasantinodallinesandnodallines.Ifthewavesourceshave
identicalfrequencies,thentherewillbeanantinodallineintheexactcenterofthepatternandan
alternatingseriesofnodalandantinodallinestotheleftandtherightofthecentralantinodalline.As
discussedintheprevioussectionofLesson3,eachlineinthepatternisassignedaname(e.g.,first
antinodalline)andanordernumber(representedbythesymbolm).Arepresentativetwopointsource
interferencepatternwithaccompanyingordernumbers(mvalues)isshownbelow.

InthispartofLesson3,wewillinvestigatetherationalebehindthenumberingsystemanddevelop
somemathematicalequationsthatrelatethefeaturesofthepatterntothewavelengthofthewaves.
Thisinvestigationwillinvolvetheanalysisofseveralantinodalandnodallocationsonatypicaltwopoint
sourceinterferencepattern.Itwillbeassumedinthediscussionthatthewavesourcesareproducing
waveswithidenticalfrequencies(andthereforeidenticalwavelengths).
Tobegin,considerthepatternshownintheanimationbelow.PointAisapointlocatedonthefirst
antinodalline.ThisspecificantinodeisformedastheresultoftheinterferenceofacrestfromSource1
(S1)meetingupwithacrestfromSource2(S2).Thetwowavecrestsaretakingtwodifferentpathsto
thesamelocationtoconstructivelyinterferetoformtheantinodalpoint.

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ThecresttravelingfromSource1(S1)travelsadistanceequivalentto5fullwavesthatis,pointAisa
distanceof5wavelengthsfromSource1(S1).ThecresttravelingfromSource2(S2)travelsadistance
equivalentto6fullwavespointAisadistanceof6wavelengthsfromSource2(S2).Whilethetwo
wavecrestsaretravelingadifferentdistancefromtheirsources,theymeetatpointAinsuchawaythat
acrestmeetsacrest.Forthisspecificlocationonthepattern,thedifferenceindistancetraveled(known
asthepathdifferenceandabbreviatedasPD)is
PD=|S1AS2A|=|56|=1
(NotethepathdifferenceorPDisthedifferenceindistancetraveledbythetwowavesfromtheir
respectivesourcestoagivenpointonthepattern.)
ForpointAonthefirstantinodalline(m=1),thepathdifferenceisequivalentto1wavelength.Butwill
allpointsonthefirstantinodallinehaveapathdifferenceequivalentto1wavelength?Andifallpoints
onthefirstantinodallinehaveapathdifferenceof1wavelength,thenwillallpointsonthesecond
antinodallinehaveapathdifferenceof2wavelengths?Andwhataboutthethirdantinodalline?And
whataboutthenodallines?Thesequestionsareinvestigatedinthediagramsbelowthroughthe
analysisofthepathdifferenceforotherpointslocatedonantinodalandnodallines.
PointBinthediagrambelowisalsolocatedonthefirstantinodalline.Thepointisformedasawave
cresttravelsadistanceof3wavelengthsfrompointS1andmeetswithasecondwavecrestthattravels
adistance4wavelengthsfromS2.Thedifferenceindistancetraveledbythetwowavesfromtheir
sourcestopointBis
PD=|S1BS2B|=|34|=1

NowwewillanalyzePointC,whichislocatedonthesecondantinodalline(seethediagrambelow).The
pointisformedasawavecresttravelsadistanceof4wavelengthsfrompointS1andmeetswitha
secondwavecrestthattravelsadistance6wavelengthsfromS2.Thedifferenceindistancetraveledby
thetwowavesfromtheirsourcestopointCis
PD=|S1CS2C|=|46|=2

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Theanalysiscontinuesforthissamepatternasweexplorethepathdifferenceforlocationsonnodal
lines.PointDislocatedonthefirstnodalline(seethediagrambelow).Thepointisformedasawave
cresttravelsadistanceof5wavelengthsfrompointS1andmeetswithawavetroughthattravelsa
distance4.5wavelengthsfromS2.Thedifferenceindistancetraveledbythetwowavesfromtheir
sourcestopointDis
PD=|S1DS2D|=|54.5|=0.5

PointEinthediagrambelowislocatedonthesecondnodalline.Thepointisformedasawavetrough
travelsadistanceof3.5wavelengthsfrompointS1andmeetswithawavecrestthattravelsadistance
5wavelengthsfromS2.Thedifferenceindistancetraveledbythetwowavesfromtheirsourcestopoint
Eis
PD=|S1ES2E|=|3.55|=1.5

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