ASSIGNMENT ON WAVE OPTICS

MCQ
1 The initial shape of the wavefront of the beam is 1

(a) planar
(b) convex
(c) concave
(d) convex near the axis and concave near the periphery

2 The speed of light in the medium is 1

(a) maximum on the axis of the beam.

(b) minimum on the axis of the beam.
(c) the same everywhere in the beam
(d) directly proportional to the intensity I.

3 As the beam enters the medium, it will 1

(a) travel as a cylindrical beam.

(b) diverge
(c) converge
(d) diverge near the axis and converge near the periphery.

4 Which one of the following phenomena is not explain by Huygens construction of 1

wave front?
(a) refraction
(b) reflection
(c) diffraction
(d) origin of Spectra

5 Which one of the following statements is true? 1

(a) both light and sound waves can travel in vacuum.

(b) both the light and sound waves in air are transverse
(c) the sound waves in air are longitudinal and while the light waves are transverse
(d) both light and sound waves in air are longitudinal
6 The frequency of light wave in a material is 2×1014 Hz and wavelength are 5000 A ˚. 1
The refractive index of material will be
(a) 1.50
(b) 3
(c) 1.33
(d) 1.4

7 The wavefront due to a source situated at infinity is 1

(a) Spherical
(b) cylindrical
(c) planar
(d) circular

8 When a wave undergoes reflection at a denser medium, what happens to its phase? 1

(a) 0
(b) π/3
(c) π/2
(d) π

9 If a wave undergoes refraction, what will be the phase change? 1

(a) 0
(b) π/3
(c) π/2
(d) π

10 The phase difference between any two points of a wavefront is: 1

(a) 0
(b) π/3
(c) π/2
(d) π

ASSERTION - REASON 1

For Questions 11 to 15, two statements are given –one labelled Assertion (A) and
other labelled Reason (R). Select the correct answer to these questions from the
options as given below.
a) If both Assertion and Reason are true and Reason is correct
explanation ofAssertion.
b) If both Assertion and Reason are true but Reason is not
the correctexplanation of Assertion.
c) If Assertion is true but Reason is false.
d) If both Assertion and Reason are false.

2|Page
11 ASSERTION: 1

According to Huygens’s principle, no backward wave-front is possible.

REASON:
Amplitude of secondary wavelet is proportional to (1 + cos θ) where θ is the angle
between the ray at the point of consideration and the direction of secondary wavelet.

12 ASSERTION: 1
When a light wave travels from a rarer to a denser medium, it loses speed. The
reduction in speed imply a reduction in energy carried by the light wave.
REASON:
The energy of a wave is proportional to velocity of wave

13 ASSERTION: 1
Two-point coherent sources of light S1 and S2 are placed on a line as shown.
P and Q are two points on that line. If at point P maximum intensity is observed then
maximum intensity should also be observed at Q.

REASON:
In the figure of assertion the distance |S1P-S2P| is equal to
distance |S2Q-S1Q|

14 ASSERTION: 1

Wavefront emitted by a point source of light in an isotropic medium is spherical.

REASON:
Isotropic medium has the same refractive index in all directions.

15 ASSERTION: 1

When a light wave travels from rarer to denser medium, its speed decreases. Due to
this reduction of speed, the energy carried by the light wave reduces.
REASON:
Energy of the wave is proportional to the frequency.

3|Page
 ANSWERS

1. (a) planar
2. (b) minimum on the axis of the beam.
V= C/µ as refractive index of the medium,µ is maximum at the axis .
3. (c ) converge .
4. .(d) origin of Spectra
5. (c ) the sound waves in air are longitudinal and while the light waves are transverse
6. (b) 3
Vmedium = νλ = 2x1014 x 5000x10-10 =108 m/s
µ = C / V med = 3x 108 / 108 =3
7. ( c) planar
8. (d) π
9. (a) 0
10. (a) 0
11. (b)
12. (d)
13.(b)
14. (a)
15. (d)

2 MARKS QUESTIONS

16 Draw the diagram to show the shape of plane wave front as they pass through (i) a thin 2
prism and (ii) a thin convex lens. State the nature of refracted wave front.
Ans. (i)

The refracted wave front is a plane wave front.

(ii)

4|Page
 The refracted wave front is spherical.
17 2
Draw the geometrical shape of the wave front when (i) light diverges from a point
source
(ii) plane wave is reflected by a concave mirror.

Ans. (i)

(ii)

3 MARKS QUESTIONS

18 3
State Huygens principle. Using Huygens’s construction of secondary wavelets draw
a diagram showing the passage of a plane wavefront from a denser to a rarer medium.
Using it verify Snell’slaw.
Ans. According to Huygens principle, each point of the wavefront is the source of a
secondary disturbance and the wavelets emanating from these points spread out in
all directions with the speed of the wave. These wavelets emanating from the
wavefront are usually referred to as secondary wavelets and if we draw a common
tangent to all these spheres, we obtain the new position of the wavefront at a later
5|Page
 time.
AB: Incident Plane Wave Front & CE is Refracted Wave front
Sin i =BC/AC & Sin r = AE /AC
Sin i / Sinr = BC /AE = v1 /v2 = constant

19 3
State Huygens principle. Using Huygens’s construction of secondary wavelets, draw
a diagram showing the reflection of a plane wave by a reflecting surface. Using it
verify the law of reflection.
Ans. . According to Huygens principle, each point of the wavefront is the source of
a secondary disturbance and the wavelets emanating from these points spread out in
all directions with the speed of the wave. These wavelets emanating from the
wavefront are usually referred to as secondary wavelets and if we draw a common
tangent to all these spheres, we obtain the new position of the wavefront at a later
time.

If v represents the speed of the wave in the medium and if τ represents the time taken
by the wavefront to advance from the point B to C then the distance
BC = vτ
In order to construct the reflected wavefront we draw a sphere of radius vτ from the
point A . Let CE represent the tangent plane drawn from the point C to this sphere.
Obviously
AE = BC = vτ

6|Page
 If we consider the triangles EAC and BAC we will find that they are congruent and
therefore, the angles i and r would be equal. This is the law of reflection.

4 MARKS QUESTIONS

20 Read the following paragraph and answer the questions that follow. 4

According to Huygens principle, each point of the wavefront is the source of a secondary
disturbance and the wavelets emanating from these points spread out in all directions
with the speed of the wave. These wavelets emanating from the wavefront are usually
referred to as secondary wavelets and if we draw a common tangent to all these spheres,
we obtain the new position of the wave front at a later time.

(a) Huygens geometrical construction for a plane wave propagating to the right

(b) Huygens geometrical construction for a spherical wave.

7|Page
 i.) According to Huygens Principle, the surface of constant phase is
(a) called an optical ray
(b) called a wave front
(c ) called a wave
(d) always linear in shape.

ii) Two plane wave fronts of light, one incident on a thin convex lens and another on
the refracting face of a thin prism. After refraction at them, the emerging wave fronts
respectively become
(a) Plane wave front and plane wave front.
(b) Plane wave front and spherical wave front.
(c) Spherical wave front and plane wave front.
(d) Spherical wave front and spherical wave front.

iii) Which of the following phenomena support the wave theory of light.
1. Scattering.
2. Interference.
3. Diffraction.
4. Velocity of light in a denser medium is less than the velocity of light in the
rarer medium.
(a) 1,2,3 (b) 1,2,4 (c ) 2,3,4 (d) 1,3,4

iv) The rectilinear propagation of light in a medium is due to

(a) Its short wavelength
(b) Its high frequency.
(c) Its high velocity.
(d) The refractive index of medium.
OR
The wave front due to a source situated at infinity is
(a) Spherical (b) cylindrical
(c ) planar (d) none of the above.

21 REFLECTION OF PLANE WAVES USING HUYGENS PRINCIPLE 4

According to Huygens principle, each point of the wavefront is the source of a secondary
disturbance and the wavelets emanating from these points spread out in all directions
with the speed of the wave. These wavelets emanating from the wavefront are usually
referred to as secondary wavelets and if we draw a common tangent to all these spheres,
we obtain the new position of the wave front at a later time.

8|Page
(i) Which of following remain constant in reflection of light
(a) Frequency
(b) Wavelength
(c) Speed
(d) All

(ii) Huygen’s concept of secondary wave

(a) allows us to find the focal length of a thick lens
(b) is a geometrical method to find a wavefront
(c) is used to determine the velocity of light
(d) is used to explain polarization

(iii) Spherical wavefronts, emanating from a point source, strike a plane

reflecting surface. What will happen to these wave fronts, immediately
after reflection?
(a) They will remain spherical with the same curvature, both in magnitude
and sign.
(b) They will become plane wave fronts.
(c) They will remain spherical, with the same curvature, but sign of
curvature reversed.
(d) They will remain spherical, but with different curvature, both in
magnitude and sign.

(iv) When light suffers reflection at the interface between water and glass, the
change of phase in the reflected wave is
(a) zero
(b) π
(c) π/2
(d) 2π
OR
Which of the following describes Huygen's Principle
(a) Every point on a wavefront acts as a source of lots of secondary
spherical
wavelets, which can therefore interfere with each other.
(b) A wave can produce an interference pattern.
9|Page
 (c) The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.
(d) All

ANSWERS OF 4 MARKS QUESTION

20. (i) b (ii) c (iii) c (iv) b or c

21. (i) d (ii) b (iii) c (iv) b or d

5 MARKS QUESTIONS

22 (a) Define a wave front. 5

(b) Draw the diagram to show the shape of plane wave front as they pass through
(i) a thin prism and (ii) a thin convex lens. State the nature of refracted wave
front.
(c) Verify Snell’s law of refraction using Huygens principle.
Ans.
(a) A wavefront is defined as the continuous locus of all such particles of the
medium which are vibrating in the same phase at any instant.
(b) (i)

The refracted wave front is a plane wave front.

(ii)

The refracted wave front is spherical.

( c) AB: Incident Plane Wave Front & CE is Refracted Wave front
Sin i =BC/AC & Sin r = AE /AC

10 | P a g e
Sin i / Sinr = BC /AE = v1 /v2 = constant