DIFFRACTION & POLARISATION OF LIGHT

Total No.of questions in Diffraction & Polarisation of Light are -

Level # 1 .................................................................................... 29
Level # 2........................................ .......................................... 10
Level # 3........................................ .......................................... 16
Level # 4........................................ .......................................... 05

Total No. of questions .............................................................. 60

 LEVEL # 1
Questions Q.7 Diffraction of light is observed only, when the
based on Properties of Diffraction
obstacle size is -
Q.1 The bending of a beam of light around
(A) Very large
comers of an obstacle is called -
(B) Very small
(A) Refraction (B) Reflection
(C) Diffraction (D) Interference (C) Of the same order that of wavelength of
light
Q.2 The phenomenon of diffraction can be
(D) Any size
observed, when the obstacle is -
(A) Quite large as compared to the Q.8 Diffraction of sound is more evident in daily
wavelength of light used lifte than light waves, because the than
(B) Quite small as compared to the diffraction of light. Because the
wavelength of light used (A) Wave length of sound waves is greater
(C) Of the same order as the wavelength of than that of light
light used (B) Sound waves are longitudinal, while light
(D) Bears no relation with the wavelength of waves are transverse
light used (C) Velocity of sound waves is less than that
Q.3 Who first discovered the phenomenon of of light
diffraction (D) None of the above
(A) Fresnel (B) Fraunhofer Q.9 If the wave length of a wave is large the
(C) Arago (D) Grimaldi degree of diffraction observed is
Q.4 The occurrence of diffraction pattern depends (A) Less
on (B) More
(A) The width of slit (C) Zero
(B) Wavelength of light (D) Insufficient information
(C) Relative sizes of width of slit and Q.10 The main difference between the phenomena
wavelength of interference and diffraction is that -
(D) Neither the width of slit nor wavelength (A) Diffraction is due to interaction of light
Q.5 Light after being a wave motion, appears to from the same wave front, whereas
travel in straight line because - interference is the interaction of waves
(A) Velocity of light more from two separate sources.
(B) Frequency of light is less (B) Diffraction is due to superposition of light
(C) Wave length of light is less from the same wavefront, whereas
(D) None of these interference is due to two waves derived
from the same source.
Q.6 Phenomenon of diffraction occurs -
(C) Diffraction is due to two waves derived
(A) Only in case of light and sound waves
from the same source, while interference
(B) For all kinds of waves
is superposition of light from wavefront.
(C) For electromagnetic waves and not for
(D) In both diffraction and interference, number
matter waves
of coherent the same sources is two
(D) For-light waves but not is case of X-rays
Q.11 What is necessary for easy occurrence of Q.18 What happens, when the width of the slit
Fresnel’s diffraction - aperture, is increased in an experiment of
(A) Obstacle should be of the order of wave single slit diffraction
length
(A) Spread of diffraction region is increased
(B) Narrow opening should be of the order of
wave length (B) Spread of diffraction region is decreased
(C) Source and screen should be at finite (C) Spread of diffraction region will be
distance from the obstacle decreased but mid-band becomes narrow
(D) All of the above (D) None of above
Q.12 The correct relation between the size of the Q.19 In a single slit diffraction pattern, if the light
obstacle and the wavelength of light in order source is used of less wave length then
to observe the diffraction event is -
previous one. Then width of the central fringe
a a will be -
(A) > 1 (B) = 0
 
(A) Less (B) Increase
a a
(C) =  (D) = 150 (C) Unchanged (D) None of these
 
Q.13 In young’s double slit experiment, the Q.20 For fraunhoffer single slit diffraction
diffraction is of the type (A) Width of central maxima is proportional
(A) Fresnel to 
(B) Fraunhoffer (B) On increasing the slit width, the width of
(C) Both Fresnel and Fraunhoffer central maxima decreases.
(D) Neither Fresnel nor Fraunboffer
(C) On making the slit width a = , central
Q.14 The diffraction effect of light expresses that spreads in the range ± 90º
(A) Light is transverse wave motion (D) All of the above are correct
(B) Light is wave motion
(C) Light is longitudinal wave motion Q.21 The positions of minima in the diffraction
(D) Light has quantum nature pattern due to a single slit are expressed by
the formula-
Questions
based on Resolving power (A) a sin  = n
Q.15 Which colour should be used to increase the 
(B) a sin  =(2n + 1)
resolving power of a microscope - 2
(A) Violet (B) Red n
(C) a sin  =
(C) Yellow (D) Green 2

Questions (D) a sin = (2n – 1) ×
based on Diffraction by single slit 2

Q.16 Central fringe obtained in diffraction pattern Q.22 The fringe width in single slit diffraction pattern
due to a single slit - is proportional to
(A) is of minimum intensity (A) a/ (B) /a (C) a (D) 
(B) is of maximum intensity
Q.23 The condition for obtaining maxima in the
(C) intensity depends upon slit width
diffraction pattern due to a single slit is -
(D) None of the above

Q.17 In the diffraction pattern of a single slit (A) a sin  = (2n – 1)
2
aperture, the width of the central fringe
(B) a sin = n
compared to widths of the other fringes, is
n
(A) Equal (B) Less (C) a sin =
2
(C) Little more (D) Double
(D) a sin = (2n + 1)
Q.24 For n th order maxima in Fraunhof f er Q.28 The angle of incidence at which reflected light
diffraction by a single slit aperture, the value is totally polarised for reflection from air to
of path difference should be glass (refractive index n) is -
(A) n (B) 2n (A) sin–1 (n) (B) sin–1 (1/n)
(C) /2 (2n + 1) (D) (2n + 1) (C) tan–1 (1/n) (D) tan–1 (n)
Q.25 A slit of width 12 × 10–7 m is illuminated by Q.29 The polaroid glass is used in sunglasses
light of wavelength 6000Aº. The angular width as -
of the central maximum is approximately - (A) it is a fashion
(A) 30º (B) 60º (C) 90º (D) 0º (B) this reduce glare
Questions (C) this is cheaper than other types
based on Polarisation
(D) this looks more beautiful
Q.26 Polarisation of light proves the -
(A) corpuscular nature of light
(B) quantum nature of light
(C) transverse wave nature of light
(D) longitudinal wave nature of light
Q.27 Waves that cannot be polarised are -
(A) light waves
(B) electromagnetic waves
(C) transverse waves(D)
(D) longitudinal waves
 LEVEL # 2
Q.1 Diffraction of sound is more evident in daily Q.6 The light from a narrow circular aperture is
life than light waves, because - brought to focus on a screen using convex
(A) W av elength (  s ) of sound wav es lens. If the wavelength of the light is  and
diameter of the aperture is D, the angular
>> wavelength (l ) of light waves
width of the central bright ring shall be
(B s  l approximately -
(C) Sound waves are longitudinal in nature   D 2D
while light waves are transverse in nature (A) (B) (C) (D)
D 2D  
(D) None of the above Q.7 In propagation of electromagnetic waves the
Q.2 A diffraction pattern is obtained using a beam angle between the direction of propagation
of red light. What happens if the red light is and plane of polarisation is -
replaced by the blue light (A) 0º (B) 45º (C) 90º (D) 180º

(A) No change Q.8 A beam of light strikes a piece of glass at an

(B) Diffraction bands become narrower and angle of incidence of 60º and the reflected
beam is completely plane polarised. The
crowded together
refractive index of the glass is -
(C) Bonds become broader and farther apart
(A)1.5 (B) 3 (C) 2 (D) (3/2)
(D) Bands disappear
Q.9 A polaroid is place at 45º to an incoming
Q.3 The diffraction at a narrow light source is
light of intensity I0. Now the intensity of light
produced for red, yellow and violet light. The passing through the polaroid after polarisation
width of diffraction pattern is found to be W 1, would be -
W 2 and W 3 respectively. Then - (A) I0 (B) I0/2 (C) I0/4 (D) zero
(A) W 1 > W 2 > W 3 Q.10 Two Nicol prism are first crossed and then
(B) W 1 < W 2 < W 3 one of them is rotated through 60º. The
(C) W 1 = W 2 = W 3 percentage of incident light transmitted is -
(A) 1.25 (B) 25.0 (C) 37.5 (D) 50
(D) Nothing can be said
Q.4 In a Fraunhoffer diffraction experiment, the
screen is at a distance of 1.0m and an
aperture of 0.10 mm diameter is illuminated
by light of wavelength 6000Å. The distance
of first maxima from the central ring is
(A) 6mm (B) 1.2 mm
(C) 3 mm (D) 0.3 mm
Q.5 A Fraunhoffer’s single slit diffraction is
observed in the focal plane of a lens of focal
length one metre. Slit width is 0.3 mm. The
2nd minima is observed at a distance of
4mm from the central maxima. Then the wave
length of the light used is
(A) 5000Aº (B) 6000Aº
(C) 6500Aº (D) 5400Aº
 LEVEL # 3
Q.1 If A is the amplitude of the wave coming from Q.7 A parallel monochromatic beam of light is
a line source at distance r then – incident normally on a narrow slit. A diffraction
(A) A  r (B) A  r –1/2
pattern is f ormed on a screen placed
(C) A  r2 (D) A  r12 perpendicular to the direction of incident beam.
For the first minimum of the diffraction pattern
Q.2 First diffraction minima due to a single slit of
width 10–4cm is at  = 30º. The wavelength the phase difference between the rays coming
of the light used is – from the edges of the slit is –

(A) 4000 Å (B) 5000 Å (A) 2 (B) 

(C) 6000 Å (D) 6250 Å (C) 2 (D) 0

Q.3 Light of wavelength  is incident on a slit of Q.8 Light of wavelength 6000Å is normally incident
width d and distance between screen and on a slit. Angular position of second minimum
slit is D. Then width of maxima and width of from central maximum is 30º. Width of the
slit will be equal if D is –– slit should be –

d2 2d (A) 12 × 10–5cm (B) 18 × 10–5cm

(A) (B)
  (C) 24 × 10–5cm (D) 36 × 10–5cm
2d2 d2 Q.9 Light of wavelength 5000Å is incident normally
(C) (D)
 2 on a slit. First minimum of diffraction pattern
Q.4 Width of the principal maximum on a screen is formed at a distance of 5mm from the
at a distance of 50 cm from the slit having central maximum. If slit width is 0.2 mm,
width 0.02 cm is 312.5 × 10–3cm. If waves then distance between slit and screen will
were incident normally on the slit, then be –
wavelength of the light from the source will
(A) 1m (B) 1.5m
be –
(C) 2.0 m (D) 2.5 m
(A) 6000 Å (B) 6250 Å
(C) 6400 Å (D) 6525 Å Q.10 Light of wavelength  is incident on a slit.
First minima of the diffraction pattern is found
Q.5 Fraunhoffer diffraction pattern of a single slit
to lie at a distance of 6mm from the central
is obtained in the focal plane of lens of focal
maximum on a screen placed at a distance
length 1m. If third maximum is formed at a
of 2m from the slit. If slit width is 0.2 mm,
distance of 5mm from the central maximum
then wavelength of the light used will be –
and wavelength of light used is 5000Å, then
(A) 4000Å (B) 6000Å
width of the slit will be –
(A) 0.02 cm (B) 0.03 cm (C) 7000Å (D) 7400Å

(C) 0.04 cm (D) 1 cm Q.11 Angular width of central maximum in the

Franuhoffer's diffraction pattern is measurred.
Q.6 Distance between first and sixth minima in
Slit is illimunuated by the light of wavelength
the diffraction pattern of a single slit is 0.5
mm. Screen is 50 cm away from the slit. If 6000Å. If the slit is illuminated by light of
slit width is 2.5mm, then wavelength of light another wavelength. Angular width decreased
used is – by 30%. Wavelength of light used is –
(A) 5000 Å (B) 6000 Å (A) 3500Å (B) 4200Å
(C) 6500 Å (D) 8000 Å (C) 4700Å (D) 6000Å
Q.12 A ray of unpolarised light is incident on a
glass plate at the polarising angle 57º.
Then -
(A) the reflected ray and the transmitted ray
both will be completely polarised
(B) the reflected ray will be completely
polarised and the transmitted ray will be
partially polarised
(C) the reflected ray will be partially polarised
and the transmitted ray will be completely
polarised
(D) the reflected and transmitted both rays
will be partially polarised
Q.13 A ray of light is incident on the surface of a
glass plate at an angle of incidence equal to
Brewster’s angle . If  represents the
refractive index of glass with respect to air,
the angle between the reflected and refracted
rays is -
(A) (90 + ) (B) sin–1 (m cos )
 sin  
(C) 90º (D) sin–1  
  
Q.14 The fact that light is a tranverse wave
phenomenon derives its evidencial support from
the observation that -
(A) light is a wave-motion
(B) light is characterised by interference
(C) light shows polarising effects
(D) light can be diffracted
Each of the questions given below consist
of Statement – I and Statement – II. Use
the following Key to choose the
appropriate answer.
(A) If both Statement- I and Statement- II are
true, and Statement - II is the correct
explanation of Statement– I.
(B) If both Statement - I and Statement - II
are true but Statement - II is not the
correct explanation of Statement – I.
(C) If Statement - I is true but Statement - II
is false.
(D) If Statement - I is false but Statement - II
is true.
Q.15 Statement I : Light waves can be polarised.
Statement II: It is because light waves are
transverse in nature.
Q.16 Statement I : Diffraction of sound waves is
difficult to observe then diffraction of light
waves.
Statement II: Wavelength of light is very
small as compared to the wavelength of
sound.
 LEVEL # 4
(Questions asked in previous AIEEE & IITJEE)

SECTION - A
y y
Q.1 If I0 is the intensity of the principle maximum
in the single slit diffraction pattern, then what
will be its intensity when the slit width is
doubled ? (A) N d (B) N d
(A) 2I0 (B) 4I0 (C) I0 (D) I0/2

Directions : Question No.2 is based on the

following paragraph. y y
Wave property of electrons implies that they
will show diffraction effects. Davisson and
Germer demonstrated this by diffracting
electrons from crystals. The law governing the (C) N d (D) N d
diffraction from a crystal is obtained by
requiring that electron waves reflected from
the planes of atoms in a crystal interfere
constructively (see figure),
Q.3 The angle of incidence at which reflected light
Incoming Outgoing in totally polarized for reflection from air to
Electrons
i Electrons
glass(refractive index n), is –
• • • • • • • • (A) sin–1 (n) (B) sin–1 (1/n)
d (C) tan–1 (1/n) (D) tan–1 (n)
• • • • • • • •
Q.4 When an unpolarized light of intensity I0 is
incident on a polarizing sheet, the intensity
• • • • • • • • of the light which does not get transmitted
Crystal
plane is -
Q.2 In an experiment, electrons are made to pass
through a narrow slit of width ‘d’ comparable 1 1
(A) I (B) I
to their de Broglie wavelength. They are 2 0 4 0
detected on a screen at a distance ‘D’ from (C) zero (D) I0
the slit (see figure).
SECTION - B
Q.1 A slit of width d is placed in front of a
lens of f ocal length 0.5 m and is
d y=0
illuminated normally with light of wavelength
5.89 × 10–7 m. The first diffraction minima
on either side of the central diffraction
D maximum are separated by 2 × 10–3 m. The
width d of the slit is
W hich of the following graphs can be (A) 2.94 × 10–4 m
expected to represent the number of electrons (B) 4.94 × 10–4 m
‘N’ detected as a function of the detector (C) 5.94 × 10–4 m
position ‘y’ (y = 0 corresponds to the middle (D) 6.94 × 10–4 m
of the slit) ?
 ANSWER KEY

Level # 1
Q.No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Ans. C C D C C B C A B B D A B B A B D C A D
Q.No. 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Ans. A B A C B C D D B

Level # 2
Q.No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Ans. A B A C B A A B B C

Level # 3
Q.No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Ans. B B D B B A A C C B B B C C A D

Level # 4
Section-A
Q.No. 1 2 3 4
Ans. B C D A

Section-B
Q.No. 1
Ans. A