Skip to content
Question 199 of 199

Q.Mention the differences between Interference and Diffraction.

Tamil Nadu DgeTamil Nadu HSC (DGE) Board 2026Subjective· 3mImportance★★★★★
100% · 199/199 Questions
🔒 Locked · start free trial →

You're viewing a preview — the full solution, concept, methods & PYQ mapping are locked.

Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →

Interference (from two coherent sources) gives equal-width, equal-intensity fringes; diffraction (from a single aperture) gives unequal-width fringes of rapidly falling intensity dominated by a bright central maximum.

InterferenceDiffraction
Superposition of waves from two (or more) coherent sourcesBending of waves from different parts of the same wavefront around an obstacle/aperture
All bright fringes have nearly equal intensityIntensity of successive maxima falls off rapidly; central maximum dominates
Fringes are of equal width, equally spacedFringes (secondary maxima) are of unequal width
Needs two coherent sources (e.g. from a single source via a biprism/double slit)Occurs from a single slit or obstacle

Unlock everything free for 14 days

  • Full step-by-step solutions
  • Concept-first explanations
  • Methods, shortcuts & mistakes
  • PYQ mapping + timed mock tests

Full access for 14 days. No credit card required.