PRESENTATION

COURSE: LAB EXPERIPENTS IN OPTICS

COURSE INSTUCTOR: DR. MUHAMMAD IMRAN
TOPIC: RIPPLE TANK
GROUP MEMBERS
ABDUL HASEEB BHATTI SP19-BPH-015
FARAZ AHMED KHAN SP19-BPH-016
SANA MAROOF SP19-BPH-017
KAMRAN ALI SP19-BPH-018
M. NAFEES-UL-HUSSAIN SP19-BPH-019
KOMAL ARSHAD SP19-BPH-020
 THEORY AND BACKGROUND
Ripple tanks are used to study water wave behavior in two dimensions. The more abstract concepts of
reflection, refraction, dispersion, and interference can be demonstrated by a ripple tank and then
applied to other wave phenomena that occur with light and sound waves. The ripple tank provides a
dramatic demonstration of the general properties of waves and propagation phenomenon by taking
advantage of the optical properties of water waves. There are four types of waves this wave generator
can make. A single circular wave, a two point source wave, plane parallel waves, and a multiple point
source wave (similar to a diffraction grating). The frequency of the waves can be adjusted by regulating
the motor. The propagation velocity can be changed by adjusting the depth of the water in the tank.

THEORY OF WAVES
A wave is energy that travels from one location to another. As the energy passes by a particular point in
space, it moves or jiggles the particles it is traveling through. If the particle is jiggling perpendicular to
the direction that the wave is traveling this is called a transverse wave. To help students remember this,
the T in transverse is the symbol for perpendicular upside down. When the particle jiggles back and
forth parallel to the direction the wave travels, this is called a compression or longitudinal wave
The frequency of a wave 'f' is the number of cycles a wave goes through in one second. Written as a formula:
f = 1/T or T = 1/f
The speed of a wave 'v' is given by the formula:
v = fl
 Young's Double Slit Interference Experiment:
We can model what is happening in Young's experiment by using the ripple tank.

If the light is coherent when it passes through the double slit, then the phase difference when
the light hits the screen at point K will be determine by the path length difference DL.
It follows that if DL= ml, a bright spot will appear at point K
Also if DL= (m + 0.5)l, a dark spot will appear at point K
 PROPERTIES
WAVE MOTION:
A phenomenon in which energy is transferred through vibrations. A wave carried energy away from the wave
source.

WAVE FRONTS:
Wave front is the line that joins all the peaks of the wave or all identical point son wave
WAVE TERMS:
Crest and trough
Amplitude
Wavelength
Frequency
Time period
Propagation velocity (v = f • λ)
Displacement- position graph:
Displacement-time graph:

Types of waves:
Plane waves
Circular waves
 Properties of waves
Refraction:
Refraction is the bending of a wave as it passes from one type of medium into another type of medium.
The direction of the wave changes such that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection

Reflection:
The change in direction of a wave front at an interface between two different media so that the wavelength
returns into the medium from which it originated.
The angle of reflection is equal to the angle of incidence.
Diffraction:
The bending of a wave as it either passes by a barrier / object OR the spreading out of a wave as it passes through
an opening
Waves can also diffract (bend) as they pass through an opening Maximum diffraction occurs when the width of the
slit is close to the wavelength of the energy.
Longer wavelengths diffract easier around a barrier compared to shorter wavelengths. This is seen in the
difference between light (a short wavelength) and sound (a long wavelength).
Young's Double Slit Interference Experiment:
If the light is coherent when it passes through the double slit, then the phase difference when the light hits the
screen at point K will be determine by the path length difference D.
It follows that if D L = ml, a bright spot will appear at point K
Also if D L = (m + 0.5)l, a dark spot will appear at point K.
Interference:
For interference of light, light sources should be coherent.
It is the phenomenon in which two waves are superimpose to form the resultant wave of the lower or higher oe
same amplitude.
Types of Interference:
Constructive interference:
when crest of one wave falls on crest of other wave
path difference = m λ

Destructive interference:
In this phenomenon crest of one wave falls on trough of other waves and vise virsa.
Path difference = (m+1/2) λ
Working Of Ripple Tank:
The ripple tank is used to generate water waves in laboratory. It is useful in demonstrating wave properties
such as reflection and refraction. It consists of a shallow tray of water with a transparent base, a light source
directly above the tray and a white screen beneath the tray to capture the image of the shadows formed when
water waves spread across the tank as shown above. Straight waves can be set up by using a straight dipper,
while circular waves can be formed by using a spherical dipper. Both dipper are vibrated up and down by a
motor.
The waves will be seen in bright and dark patches on the screen below the tray. These patches show the position
of the crests and troughs of the waves. The dark patches will correspond to the crests and bright patches will be
the troughs. A ripple tank is a transparent shallow tray of water with a light shining down through it onto a
white card below. The light allows you to see the motion of the ripples created on the water's surface more
easily. Ripples can be made by hand but to generate regular ripples it is better to use a motor.
 Applications

• Ripple tanks can be used to show all the basis properties of waves including diffraction,
reflection, refraction and interference.
• Ripples are usually created by a small electric motor attached to a strip of wood suspended by
springs or elastic bands.
• A ripple tank can be used to measure and calculate frequency, wavelength and the speed of
waves on the water's surface.
• A ripple tank is a transparent shallow tray of water with a light shining down through it onto a
white card below.
 Why are bright and dark fringes formed in ripple tank
The speed of light in water is less than that of air, which makes water very much like a glass lens, which,
itself, has light travel slower than air — the property of a lens is to twist light, which is done when the
speed through the substance varies from the speed (of light) through air (vacuum).
The peak of a ripple acts as a convex lens. This causes light rays to converge and produces a bright region
on the viewing sheet. The trough of a ripple acts as a concave lens. This causes light rays to diverge and
produces a dark region on the viewing sheet.