Question 199 of 199
Q.Mention the differences between Interference and Diffraction.
Tamil Nadu DgeTamil Nadu HSC (DGE) Board 2026Subjective· 3mImportance★★★★★
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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.
| Interference | Diffraction |
|---|---|
| Superposition of waves from two (or more) coherent sources | Bending of waves from different parts of the same wavefront around an obstacle/aperture |
| All bright fringes have nearly equal intensity | Intensity of successive maxima falls off rapidly; central maximum dominates |
| Fringes are of equal width, equally spaced | Fringes (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 |
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