Question Bank: PHM181

Applied Physics I
Department of Physics and Computer Science
Faculty of Science
Academic Year: 2017-2018
Last Revised: August 2017

Unit 1
One dimensional waves, harmonic waves, phase and phase velocity, the superposition principle, the
complex representation, phasors and the addition of waves, plane waves, the addition of waves of the
same frequency, the addition of waves of different frequency. Acoustics: sound waves, intensity of sound
waves, decibels and Weber-Fechner law; characteristics of a musical sound versus noise.

1. The equation of a transverse wave travelling along a string is given by y = 0.4 sin π(0.4x−60t), where
x and y are in centimeters and t is in seconds. Find the amplitude, wavelength, wave number,
frequency, temporal period and velocity of the wave. Find the maximum transverse speed of any
point of the string.

2. What is the equation for a longitudinal wave travelling in the negative x direction with amplitude
0.001 m, frequency 5 sec−1 and speed 2000 m/s?

3. A wave of frequency 20 Hz has a velocity of 80 m/s. How far apart are two points whose
displacements are 30 degrees apart in phase? At a given point, what is the phase difference
between two displacements occurring at times separated by 0.01 s?

4. Write down the wave equation in one dimension and state its most general solution. Show that
vibrations of a stretched string of linear mass density σ under tension T obey the wave equation.

5. Suppose that wave pulse on a long string is described by the equation

y(x, t) = Ae−a(bx−ct)2.

What is the velocity of the wave pulse? Plot the y as a function of x at time t = 0 and a later time t =
t0 on the same graph.
6. Verify that the differential equation
d2y/dx2 = −k2y
has as its solution
y = A cos kx + B sin kx.
Show that this solution can also be written in the form y = C Re ei(kx+φ) and find an expression for C
and φ in terms of A and B.

7. A sound wave in air has a frequency of 262 Hz and travels with a speed of 343 m/s. How far apart
are the wave crests (i.e., the compressions)?

1
8. Two points on a string are observed as a travelling harmonic wave passes them. The points are at x1
= 0 m and at x2 = 1 m. The transverse dislacement of the two points are observed to be:
 y1 = 0.2 sin(3πt)
y2 = 0.2 sin(3πt + π/8)

From this information, can you determine: the frequency of the wave? the wavelength of the wave?
the speed with which the wave travels? the direction the wave is moving?

9. Determine the resultant of the superposition of the waves Ψ1 = A sin(ωt+φ1) and Ψ2 = B sin(ωt+φ2)
when ω = 120π rad/sec, A = 6 m, B = 8 m, φ1 = 0 and φ2 = π/2. Plot Ψ1, Ψ2 and Ψ1 + Ψ2 on the same
graph. Show how to obtain the result using phasors.

10. Using phasors, find the superposition of the three waves of equal amplitudes: Ψ1 = A sin(ωt + φ1),
Ψ2 = A sin(ωt + φ2), Ψ3 = A sin(ωt + φ3) if φ1 = 0, φ2 = π/2 and φ3 = −π/4. For what values of φ1, φ2
and φ3 do we get a resultant wave of minimum amplitude? maximum amplitude?

11. Find the superposition of ψ1 = 3 cos(ωt) and ψ2 = 4 sin(ωt) using phasors.

12. (a) Show how the superposition of two travelling waves moving in opposite directions can give rise
to a standing wave. (b) Microwaves of frequency 1010 Hz are beamed directly at a metal reflector:
determine the spacing between successive nodes in the resulting standing wave pattern. (c) A
sound wave in a fluid medium is reflected in one end so that a standing wave is formed. The
distance between nodes is 3.8 cm and the speed of propagation is 1500 m/s. Find the frequency of
the sound waves.

13. Show how the superposition of two equal-amplitude harmonic waves of different frequency produces
a beat pattern. (a) Suppose we strike two tuning forks, one with frequency 340 Hz and another with
frequency 342 Hz. What will we hear? (b) Suppose we strike three tuning forks, with frequencies
340 Hz, 341 Hz and 342 Hz. What will we hear?

14. Explain the difference between longitudinal waves and transverse waves. Give examples of each.
Give examples of one-dimensional, two-dimensional and three dimensional waves.

15. (a) Derive expressions for the allowed wavelengths and frequencies for standing waves in string of
length L, whose two endpoints are fixed. The string is under tension T, and has linear mass density
M/L. (b) A guitar string is 90 cm long and has a mass of 3.6 g. The distance from the bridge to the
support post is 62cm, and the string is under a tension of 520 N. What are the frequencies of the
fundamental and first two overtones?

16. Two linear waves have the same amplitude and speed, and otherwise are identical, except one has
half the wavelength of the other. Which transmits more energy? By what factor?

17. What is meant by intensity of sound? Are intensity and loudness the same? How are these
measured? Describe the Weber-Fechner law. To what extent is it applicable to sound perception?

18. (a) If two firecrackers produce a sound level of 95 dB when fired simultaneously at a certain place,
what will be the sound level if only one is exploded? (b) A cassette player is said to have a
signal-to-noise ratio of 58 dB, whereas for a CD player it is 95 dB. What is the ratio of intensities of
the signal and the background noise for each device? (c) You are standing a distance d from a siren.
You walk 50 m towards the siren and find that the sound level increases by 3 dB. How far away is
the siren?

19. Distinguish between a musical note and a noise. Why do two musical instruments (say a piano and
a guitar) playing the same note sound different?

20. Explain the difference between phase velocity and group velocity and derive an expression for group
velocity by considering the superposition of two waves of different frequencies. Given a dispersion
relation of the form ω = Ak2 determine the phase and group velocities.
Unit 2
Basic laws of electromagnetic theory: Maxwell’s equations, electromagnetic waves, energy and
momentum in electromagnetic waves, the electromagnetic-photon spectrum, Rayleigh scattering,
reflection, refraction, Fermat’s principle, total internal reflection

1. Consider the plane electromagnetic wave given by the following expression (in SI units):
  
 × 1014(t
=
Ex Ey Ez 
 − x/c) +
0 0
π/2
2 cos 2π

What are the frequency, wavelength, direction of motion, amplitude and polarization of the wave?
~
Write an expression for the corresponding B (x, y, z, t).

2. What force (on average) will be exerted on a flat, reflective 40 m ×50 m side of a space-station wall if
it is facing the Sun while orbiting Earth? (Light from the sun reaches the earth with intensity
approximately 1400 W/m2.)

3. Consider a linearly polarised plane EM wave traveling in the +y direction, with its plane of vibration in
the yz plane. Given that its frequency is 10 MHz and its amplitude is E0 = 0.04 V/m, find the period
and wavelength of the wave; Find an expression for E(t) and B(t). Find the flux density hSi of the
wave.

4. A 550 nm harmonic EM wave whose electric field is in the x direction with amplitude 600 V/m is
travelling in the z direction in vacuum. Determine the frequency of the wave, ω, k, the amplitude of
the magnetic field. Write an expression for both E(t) and B(t) given that both are zero at x = 0 and t =
0.

5. A lightbulb puts out 20 W of radiant energy. Estimate the intensity (or irradiance) of light at a
distance of 1.00 m from the bulb. Approximately what are the amplitudes of the corresponding
electric and magnetic fields?

6. Write the four Maxwell’s equations in differential or integral form, and state the physical interpretation
of each one.

7. Show that Maxwell’s equations admit plane wave solutions. What is the phase velocity of these waves?

8. Derive an expression for the energy and momentum carried by an electromagnetic wave (i.e.,
Poynting’s theorem).

9. State Fermat’s principle and using Fermat’s principle derive Snell’s law for refraction and the law of
reflection.

10. Describe the spectrum of electromagnetic waves from frequency 1 kHz to 1022 Hz. What are the
wavelengths and frequencies of visible colours (such as red, yellow, green, blue and violet)?

11. A beam of light in air strikes the surface of a smooth dielectric with index of refraction 1.6 at an angle
of incidence of 20 degrees. The electric field amplitude parallel to the plane of incidence is 10 V/m,
and perpendicular to the plane of incidence is 20 V/m. Determine the corresponding reflected field
amplitudes and the angle of transmition.

12. Make a plot of θi versus θt for an air-glass boundary (where the index of refraction of glass is 1.5).
 13. Using dimensional analysis or the concept of dipole radiation, derive an expression of Rayleigh scat
tering. A white beam of light crosses a large volume containing a mixture of gas (mostly oxygen and
nitrogen). Compute the relative amount of scattering occurring for the yellow component with that of
the violet component.
Unit 3
Conditions for interference, wavefront-splitting interferometers, amplitude-splitting interfer ometers, types
and localization of interference fringes, Fraunhofer diffraction, Fresnel diffrac tion.

1. What is meant by temporal and spatial coherence and why are they necessary conditions for interfer
ence? We intend to produce an interference pattern using Young’s double slit experiment with light
of mean wavelength 500 nm and line width 2.5 × 10−3 nm. At what optical path length difference do
you expect the fringes to vanish?

2. Derive an expression for the interference pattern seen in the Young’s double slit experiment. Will be
get an interference pattern in Young’s double slit experiment if we replace the two slits by two
different lightbulbs?

3. Red plane waves from a Ruby Laser (λ = 694.3 nm) in air impinge on two parallel slits on an opaque
screen. A fringe pattern forms on a distant wall, and we see the fourth bright fringe at an angle of 1.0
degrees above the central axis. Calculate the separation between the slits.

4. Find an expression for the shift of the mth bright fringe as a result of placing a thin parallel sheet of
glass of index n and thickness d directly over one of the slits in Young’s double slit experiment.
Clearly state any assumptions or approximations you make.

5. Derive a formula for the radius of the mth dark ring of Newton’s rings.

6. A soap film of index 1 .34 has a region where it is 550 nm thick. Determine the wavelengths of light in
vacuum of the radiation that is not reflected when the film is illuminated from above with sunlight.

7. Fringes are observed when a parallel beam of light of wavelength 500 nm is incident perpendicularly
onto a wedge-shaped film with an index of refraction 1.5 The fringe separation is 0.33 cm. What is
the angle of the wedge?

8. A Michelson interferometer is illuminated with monochromatic light. One of its mirrors is moved by
2.5 × 10−5 m and it is observed that 92 pairs of dark and bright fringes pass by in the process.
Determine the wavelength of the incident light.

9. A glass microscope lens having an index of refraction 1.45 is to be coated with a magnesium fluoride
film (n = 1.46), to increase the transmission of normally incident yellow light at λ = 550 nm. What
should be the minimum thickness of film deposited on the lens?

10. Show that, for a double slit Fraunhofer pattern, if a = mb the number of bright fringes within the
central diffraction maximum is equal to 2m.

11. Using symmetry considerations, create a rough sketch of the Fraunhofer diffraction pattern of (a) an
equilateral triangle aperture, and (b) an aperture in the form of a plus sign.

12. Light having frequency of 4.0 × 1014 Hz is incident on a grating with 10000 lines per cm. What is the
highest order spectrum that can be seen with this device? Explain.

13. Make a rough sketch of the Fresnel diffraction pattern arising from a double slit.

14. White light falls normally on a transmission grating with 1000 lines per cm. At what angle will red
light emerge in the first order spectrum?
Unit 4
The nature of polarized light, polarizers, dichroism, birefringence, scattering and polarization, polarization
by reflection, retarders, circular polarizers, polarizations of polychromatic light, optical activity.

1. Describe the polarization of each of the following waves:

~ ˆ ˆ
(a) E = iE0 cos(kz − ωt) − jE0 cos(kz − ωt)
~ ˆ ˆ
(b) E = iE0 sin(kz − ωt) − jE0 sin(kz − ωt − π/4)
2. Describe the definitions of polarised light, linearly polarised light and circularly polarized light.

3. A beam of polarized light (vertical linear polarisation) is perpendicularly incident on an ideal linear
polariser. If its transmission axis makes an angle of 60 degrees with the vertical, what intensity of
light will be transmitted by the polarizer?

4. At what angle will the reflection of the sky coming of the surface of a pond n = 1.33 completely
vanish when seen through a Polaroid filter?

5. What is Brewster’s angle for reflection of light from the surface of a piece of glass (n = 1.65)
immersed in water (n = 1.33)?

6. Suppose you were given a linear polariser and a quarter-wave plate. How could you determine
which was which, given a source of natural light?

7. A ray of yellow light is incident on a calcite plate at 50 degrees. The plane is cut so that the optic axis
is parallel to the front face and perpendicular to the plane-of-incidence. Find the angular separation
between the two emerging rays.

8. A beam of natural light is incident on an air-glass interface at 40 degrees. Compute the degree of
polarization of the reflected light?

9. An ideal polariser is rotated at a rate ω between a similar pair of stationary crossed polarisers. Show
that the emergent flux density will be modulated at four times the rotational frequency.

10. What are retarders? Explain the difference between a full-wave plate, half-wave plate and quarter
wave plate.

11. What is dichroism? Show how a grid of parallel conducting wires can serve as a dichroic polarizer,.

12. Take two ideal polaroids (the first with its axis vertical and the second, horizontal) and insert between
them a stack of 10 half-wave plates – the first with its fast axis rotated π40 radians from the vertical,
and each subsequent one rotated π/40 from the previous one. Determine the ratio of emerging to
incident irradiance.
Unit 5
Radiant energy and matter in equilibrium, Stefan-Boltzman law, Wien displacement law, Planck’s radiation
law, the Einstein A and B coefficients, Ruby laser, Helium-neon laser, semiconductor laser, fiber optics,
numerical aperture, types of fiber, fiber optic communica tion.

1. A typical person has a surface area of about 1.4 m2, and an average sin temperature of 33 degrees
Celsius. Determine the net power radiated per unit area if the person’s total emissivity is 97 % and
the environment is at room temperature 20 degrees C. How much energy does that body radiate per
second?

2. The temperature of an object resembling a blackbody is raised from 200 K to 2000K. By how much
does the amount of energy it radiates increase?

3. The surface temperature of a class O blue-white star is around 40 × 103 K. At what frequency will it
 radiate most of its energy?

4. For a system of atoms and photons in equilibrium at temperature T, derive an expression for the
ratio of the transition rates of stimulated to spontaneous emission.

5. Explain the meaning of Einstein’s A and B coefficients and derive the relation between them.

6. What is the transition rate for neon atoms in a He-Ne laser if the energy drop for the 632.8 nm
emission is 1.96 eV and the power output is 1.0 mW.

7. Describe the essential components of a laser, and the principle behind its operation. Illustrate using
the example of either a ruby laser or a semiconductor laser.

8. Given that a ruby laser operating at 694.3 nm has a frequency bandwidth of 50 MHz, what is the
corresponding line width?

9. (a) A laser beam can focused on an area 5 × 10−14 m the intensity of focused beam. (b) A laser
source of wavelength 600 nm, minimum beam width 4 mm and power 10 mW shines on a surface
100m away. Deduce the intensity of light on the wall. (c) Approximately how many photons are
required per second to produce a red laser beam of 3 mW? A violet laser beam at 3 mW? An
infrared laser operating at 1000 nm at 3 mW?

10. Calculate the numerical aperture and maximum acceptance angle of a fiber having refractive indices
of core and cladding as 1.62 and 1.52 respectively. What would happen to a light ray incident into
the finer at 45 degrees?

11. Derive an expression for the numerical aperture of a step-index multi-mode optical fiber.

12. State the difference between single-mode and multi-mode optical fibers. Explain the difference
between step-index and graded index optical fibers. What are the communication applications of each?

References
• Eugene Hecht, Optics, 4th edition, Addison Wesley.

• A.P. French, Vibrations and Waves, MIT Introductory Physics Series.

• Sands, Feynman, and Leighton, Feynman Lectures on Physics: feynmanlectures.caltech.edu.