Exam practice questions

Page 268–273 Exam practice questions

1 Although a constant phase relationship is needed for coherence, it is not essential
that the sources are always in phase; it is essential that they have the same
frequency – the answer is B. [Total 1 Mark ]
2 To form a minimum on an interference pattern, the waves must be in antiphase at that point.
The path difference must therefore be half a wavelength – the answer is B. [Total 1 Mark]
3 A guitar string vibrating in the fundamental mode has a node at each end with a single antinode
in between. The length is equal to half a wavelength, so wavelength = 1.24 m – the answer is D.
[Total 1Mark]
4 The second harmonic has a frequency twice that of the fundamental – the answer is D.
[Total 1 Mark]
5 A stationary transverse wave is set up in the string. This causes the air molecules to vibrate
generating a progressive, longitudinal sound wave – the answer is D. [Total 1 Mark]
6 At the central point, the path difference from the speakers is zero, so if there is destructive
interference the speakers must be in antiphase – the answer is D. [Total 1 Mark]
λ
7 The angular width of the central maximum = . The only situation that will cause it to widen will
a
be an increase in wavelength – the answer is D. [Total 1 Mark]
8 The engine noise is picked up by a microphone, electronically processed [1] and delivered to the
pilot’s headphones exactly out of phase with the noise [1] so that destructive superposition [1]
occurs. Other signals to the headphones are not processed.
[Total 3 Marks]

9 a) The reflected ray travels back and forth between the surfaces. The path difference between
this ray and the one passing straight through is therefore 2 × 450 nm = 900 nm. [1] The path
difference is equal to three complete wavelengths of the blue light in the solution, [1] so the
two waves emerge in phase and constructive superposition occurs for blue light. [1]
b) Gravitational force pulls the liquid down making the film thicker at the bottom. [1]
c) When the path difference is a whole number of wavelengths, constructive interference
occurs; when the path lengths differ by an odd number of half wavelengths, destructive
interference takes place. [1] So, as the film gradually gets thicker, alternate lines of
constructive and destructive interference appear as a series of horizontal stripes. [1]
The minimum thickness for destructive interference to occur is when the path difference is
half a wavelength. [1] The path difference is twice the thickness of the film, so the minimum
thickness will be a quarter of a wavelength = 125 nm. [1]
[Total 3 Marks]

© Graham George & Mike Benn 2015

 Exam practice questions

c 3.0 × 108 m s −1
10 a) i) f = = = 4.69 × 1014 Hz [1]
λ 640 × 10−9 m

c cv 3.0 × 108 m s −1
ii)
= m = v ⇒ cm = = 1.97 × 108 m s −1 [2]
cm m 1.52

c 1.97 × 108 m s −1
b) i) λ= = = 420 nm [1]
f 4.69 × 1014 Hz

ii) The path difference between the wave reflected from the top edge of the bump and
λ
that from the bottom edge is: 2 × 105 nm = 210 nm [1] =
2
The two reflections are out of phase and so destructive interference takes place. [1]
[Total 6 Marks]

11 a) i) See Figure 16.19 [2]

ii) Fundamental: λ = 2l [1]
First overtone: λ = l [1]
1 −1
b) i) /m 2.06; 2.30; 2.60; 2.90; 3.08; 4.08; 4.65 [1]
l
Graph: axes correctly labelled [1], appropriate scales [1], line of best fit through
Points. [1]
λ
ii) For an open-ended pipe l = in the fundamental mode; hence λ = 2l. [1]
2
v v
f= = [1]
l 2l

−1 v
iii) Gradient = 170 m s = [1]
2
−1
v = 340 m s [1]
The speed of sound in air increases as the temperature rises. [1] As the
wavelength is fixed, the frequency is proportional to the speed, and will
therefore rise and fall with the temperature. [1]
[Total14 Marks]

12 a) Hot spots occur when the path difference between the direct and reflected waves equals a
whole number of wavelengths. [1] There will be a more intense ‘antinode’ at these points
and the food will be cooked more quickly than at the ‘nodes’ [1] where the direct and
reflected beams arrive out of phase and create a cold spot.
b) The distance between adjacent nodes or antinodes in a standing wave is equal to half a
wavelength. As the hot spots are 6 cm apart, the wavelength of the microwaves must be
about 12 cm. [1]

c 3 × 108 m s −1
f = = = 2.5 × 109 Hz [1]
λ 0.12 m

© Graham George & Mike Benn 2015

 Exam practice questions

c) The length of the reflected wave = 450 mm; the length of the direct wave = 270 mm
Path difference = 450 mm (use Pythagoras) – 270 mm = 180 mm. [1]
This is 1.5 wavelengths, but there is a phase change equivalent to half a wavelength at the
reflecting surface. The effective path difference becomes one wavelength [1] so the beams
are in phase at X so producing a ‘hot spot’. [1]
[Total 7 Marks]

1 T
13 a) The aim of the experiments is to check the validity of the equation: f = .
2l µ

The same wire is to be used so µ is constant. We need to show that when the tension is
constant, f is inversely proportional to l, and that when the length is constant, f is

proportional to T .
i) The equipment needed is a sonometer (or a length of wire, two ‘bridges’, a clamp and
pulley), weights plus hanger, metre rule and a microphone connected to an oscilloscope
(or a digital waveform device with sensor and computer). [1]
ii) Figure 16.14 drawn. [1]
iii) With a fixed mass on the hanger adjust the bridges so that they are 20 cm apart. The
length can be measured using a metre rule with a precision of 1 mm. [1] The rule should
be placed on the knife edges of the bridges and read from directly above to reduce
parallax errors. [1].
Pluck the wire at the central point and observe the waveform produced on the CRO or
the computer. Measure the period of the wave using the time base/scale [1] and
1
calculate the frequency using f = . [1] Repeat this three times and find the average
t
value of f. [1] Repeat the experiment for a further five values of l up to the maximum
length of wire available. [1]
iv) To ensure that the experiment is safely performed, safety goggles must be worn at all
times, the bench around the equipment uncluttered and a tray or mat placed beneath
the load. [1]
For the second experiment, the length is fixed and the load is varied by adding weights to the
hanger to give a suitable range of tensions and the corresponding frequencies are found.
1
v) To verify the equation, a graph of f against is plotted for the first experiment, and one
l
2
of f against T (or f against T ) for the second experiment. [1] Both graphs should be
straight lines through the origin. [1] [max. 8 marks)
b) To determine the value of the mass per unit length of the wire, the gradient of either graph
can be found. [1]

© Graham George & Mike Benn 2015

 Exam practice questions

1 T 1
For experiment 1 the equation can be written f = ×
2 µ l

1 T
so the gradient = [1]
2 µ

OR
1
For experiment 2 the equation can be written f 2 = × T
4 l2 µ

1
so the gradient = [1]
4 l2 µ
[Total 10 Marks]

14 a) i) Narrower slit gives more diffraction and so the central maximum should be wider on
your sketch. [1]
ii) and iii) Red light has a longer wavelength than blue [1] so the central maximum will
be wider for the red light sketch. [1]
b) The peak of the central maximum of the blue pattern falls within the first minimum [1] and so
the two images can be resolved. [1] The central maximum of the red light lies outside the first
minimum and so only one image is detected. [1]
[Total 6 Marks]

15 a) The central maximum is white. [1] A continuous spectrum is seen on each side of the central
maximum [1] with the red end closest to the centre. [1]
b) The distances between the grating end of the screen [1] and between the central maximum
and the extreme positions of the spectrum (or, more accurately, between the ends of both
first order spectra) using a metre rule. [1] The angles are calculated using
distance from central max to first max
tanθ = [1]
distance from the grating to the screen

1
c) nλ = d sin θ = sin θ where n = number of lines per metre
N
3 −1 −9
i) For first order red light, n = 1, λ = 700 nm, sin θ = 500 × 10 m × 700 ×10 m, θ = 20 ° [1]
3 −1 −9
For first order violet light, sin θ = 500 × 10 m × 400 × 10 m, θ = 12 ° [1]
3 −1 −9
ii) For second order red light, sin θ = 2 × 500 × 10 m × 700 × 10 m, θ = 44 ° [1]
3 −1 −9
iii) For third order violet light, sin θ = 3 × 500 × 10 m × 400 × 10 m, θ = 37 ° [1]
d) The second and third order spectra have larger angles, so the measurements would have a
smaller percentage uncertainty. [1] In this case, the second and third order spectra will
overlap (the angle of second order red maximum, 44 °, is bigger than that for the third order
violet, 37 °, so the second and third order are not complete). [1]
[Total 12 Marks]

© Graham George & Mike Benn 2015

 Exam practice questions

Stretch and challenge

16 a) Diffraction occurs at both the single slit and the double slit. The light from the single slit
spreads out so that light from the same wavefront [1] is incident on the double slit. This
provides a pair of coherent sources which are diffracted from each of the double slits. [1]
When the wavefronts from the double slits overlap, interference patterns are produced. [1]

Sx 0.80 × 10−3 m × 3.7 × 10−4 m

b) λ = = = 5.9 × 10−7 m [2]
D 0.50 m
c) The speed of light in glass is less than that in air, so the wavelength will be shorter. [1] This
means that there will be more waves in the glass strip than in an equal thickness of air. [1]
This effectively reduces the path difference needed to produce constructive or destructive
interference [1] and the pattern will shift to the side covered by the glass. (Another way of
explaining this is to consider the position of the ‘central’ maximum. Without the glass, the
distance from each slit to the maximum is the same and therefore each path has the same
number of wavelengths. When the glass is introduced it effectively shortens the path length
for this number of waves and so the position where both are in phase will be moved.)
d) See Figure 16.25. [2]
e) The angular separation of the interference fringes from the central maximum is given by
nλ
θ= [1], and the angular separation of the first minimum of the diffraction pattern is
S
λ
given by θ = . [1]
a
When the fourth fringe of the interference pattern coincides with the first minimum of the
diffraction pattern, it will disappear. From the above relationships we can see that this occurs
S 0.80 mm
when a = = = 0.20 mm . [1]
n 4
f) The central maximum will appear white because the path difference is zero for all
wavelengths. [1] The wavelength of blue light is less than that of red light, so the fringe
separation for blue is less than that for red.
The fringes close to the central maximum will appear as spectra with the violet end inside and
the red end at the outside. [1] After several sets of spectra, fringes of different orders will
overlap and the pattern will become indistinct. [1]
[Total 16 Marks]

© Graham George & Mike Benn 2015