SUPERPOSITION WORKSHEET

1. (a) State what is meant by diffraction. (2)

(b) State the principle of superposition of waves. (2)

(c) The photograph shows a beach in England. Waves can be seen passing rocks on their way to the beach.
The uneven surface of the sand has formed
as a result of diffraction and superposition
of these waves.
Use the ideas of diffraction and
superposition to explain why the sand
surface becomes uneven.
(5)

2. Two students demonstrate standing waves to the rest of the class using a rope. The diagram shows the
appearance of the standing wave on the rope at one instant. Each part of the rope is at its maximum
displacement
(a) (i) Mark the position of one node on the diagram. Label this point N. (1)

(ii) The arrow at point X shows the direction in which the point X is about to move. Add arrows to the
diagram to show the directions in which points Y and Z are about to move. (2)

(b) The frequency of the vibration shown in the diagram is 1.5 Hz. When a rope is vibrating with its
fundamental frequency there is one antinode. Calculate the fundamental frequency of this wave. (2)

3. Ready-meals that can be heated in a microwave oven always have the instruction that the food should be
stirred properly before eating. This is because ‘hot and cold spots’ within the oven lead to uneven heating
of the food. A microwave source within the oven emits coherent waves in all directions. The waves are
reflected off the walls and so the microwaves arrive at one spot by several different routes. The waves
interfere with each other and set up standing waves.

(a) Explain what is meant by the term coherent (2)

(b) The diagram shows the path of two microwaves arriving at point S.

The wavelength of the microwaves is 12 cm. Explain why S is a ‘cold spot’. Assume that no other
microwaves arrive at that point. (4)