Topics on light and optics

[gentlebeast]

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Will interference and diffraction be on Mcat? I looked at AAmc outline. It didn't list these two. These two topics on tbr slaughtered me.

 

[MedPR]

Will interference and diffraction be on Mcat? I looked at AAmc outline. It didn't list these two. These two topics on tbr slaughtered me.

I'm not sure what list you looked at, but the AAMC PS list clearly states interference and diffraction will be on there. Interference is the very first topic in the light/optics subsection, and diffraction is listed in the waves section.

 

[411309]

There really isnt too much to know about interference and diffraction, imo. Theres two kinds of interference- constructive and destructive. If two waves are 180 degrees out of phase then you have destructive interference resulting in reduced amplitude when they meet. Two waves that are completely in phase with each other will have complete constructive interference proportional the amplitude of the two waves. If the waves are even slightly out of phase you still get constructive interference, only when they are 180 degrees out of phase do you get complete destructive interference. Noise cancelling headphones use destructive interference- they emit a wave that destructively interferes with the background noise. Which is why they are not perfect; the wave is never completely 180 degrees out of phase so you don't utilize full destructive interference.

As for diffraction, thats just the bending of a wave around a medium of sorts, sort of like the spreading of light. Think about lasers emitting from small slits in the typical diffraction experiment that physics labs tend to have.

I don't think theres really too much to know about the two specific topics you listed beyond what i said.

 

[MedPR]

There really isnt too much to know about interference and diffraction, imo. Theres two kinds of interference- constructive and destructive. If two waves are 180 degrees out of phase then you have destructive interference resulting in reduced amplitude when they meet. Two waves that are completely in phase with each other will have complete constructive interference proportional the amplitude of the two waves. If the waves are even slightly out of phase you still get constructive interference, only when they are 180 degrees out of phase do you get complete destructive interference. Noise cancelling headphones use destructive interference- they emit a wave that destructively interferes with the background noise. Which is why they are not perfect; the wave is never completely 180 degrees out of phase so you don't utilize full destructive interference.

As for diffraction, thats just the bending of a wave around a medium of sorts, sort of like the spreading of light. Think about lasers emitting from small slits in the typical diffraction experiment that physics labs tend to have.

I don't think theres really too much to know about the two specific topics you listed beyond what i said.

You probably need to know when and why waves out in/out of phase. For instance if you are refracting light through several different media the waves can be in or out of phase depending on the n value.

 

[gentlebeast]

I'm not sure what list you looked at, but the AAMC PS list clearly states interference and diffraction will be on there. Interference is the very first topic in the light/optics subsection, and diffraction is listed in the waves section.

Thx I found them this time. Ugh

 

[gentlebeast]

There really isnt too much to know about interference and diffraction, imo. Theres two kinds of interference- constructive and destructive. If two waves are 180 degrees out of phase then you have destructive interference resulting in reduced amplitude when they meet. Two waves that are completely in phase with each other will have complete constructive interference proportional the amplitude of the two waves. If the waves are even slightly out of phase you still get constructive interference, only when they are 180 degrees out of phase do you get complete destructive interference. Noise cancelling headphones use destructive interference- they emit a wave that destructively interferes with the background noise. Which is why they are not perfect; the wave is never completely 180 degrees out of phase so you don't utilize full destructive interference.

As for diffraction, thats just the bending of a wave around a medium of sorts, sort of like the spreading of light. Think about lasers emitting from small slits in the typical diffraction experiment that physics labs tend to have.

I don't think theres really too much to know about the two specific topics you listed beyond what i said.

Thx! I did a passage. Being able to solve problems seems to ask more. :/

 

[gentlebeast]

You probably need to know when and why waves out in/out of phase. For instance if you are refracting light through several different media the waves can be in or out of phase depending on the n value.

I am not sure about what you mean. Are u talking about combining refraction and interference?

 

[blazinfury]

I think that the OP is referring to slits, like Young's.