Question 184 of 199
Q.What are the differences between interference and diffraction ?
Tamil Nadu DgeTamil Nadu HSC (DGE) Board 2024Subjective· 3mImportance★★★★★
92% · 184/199 Questions
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Interference arises from two coherent sources and gives equally spaced, equal-intensity fringes; diffraction arises from a single aperture/obstacle and gives unequally spaced fringes of rapidly falling intensity, dominated by a wide bright central maximum.
| Interference | Diffraction |
|---|---|
| Superposition of waves from two (or more) distinct coherent sources | Bending/spreading of waves from different parts of the same wavefront passing an obstacle or aperture |
| All bright fringes (maxima) are of nearly equal intensity | Intensity of successive maxima falls off rapidly; central maximum is far brighter than the rest |
| Fringes are of equal width, equally spaced | Fringes (secondary maxima) are of unequal width |
| Minima are usually points/regions of exactly zero intensity | Minima are also points of zero intensity, but positioned/spaced differently, following |
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