Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region I
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF ILOCOS NORTE

GENERAL
PHYSICS 2
Quarter 4 – Module 3:
SUPERPOSITION AND
DIFFRACTION OF WAVES
MELC: Determine the conditions (superposition, path
and phase difference, polarization, amplitude) for
interference to occur emphasizing the properties of a
laser as a monochromatic and coherent light source
(STEM_GP12OPTIVf- 32)

Relate the geometry of the diffraction experiment setup

(slit size, and screen- to-slit distance) and properties of
light (wavelength) to the properties of the diffraction
pattern (width, location, and intensity of the fringes)
(STEM_GP12OPTIVf-35)

Prepared by:

MARVIN ABARA
General Physics 2 - Grade 12
Share-A-Resource-Program
Quarter 4 – Module 3: Superposition and Diffraction of Waves
First Edition, 2020
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Published by the Department of Education

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Undersecretary: Diosdado M. San Antonio

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Writers: Marvin Abara
Editor and
Proof Readers: Rajah Adib Reyes
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Telefax: (077) 771-0960
Telephone No.: (077) 770-5963, (077) 600-2605
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 12

GENERAL
PHYSICS 2
Quarter 4 – Module 3:
SUPERPOSITION AND
DIFFRACTION OF WAVES
Introductory Message
This Contextualized Learning Module (CLM) is prepared so that you, our dear
learners, can continue your studies and learn while at home. Activities, questions,
directions, exercises, and discussions are carefully stated for you to understand each
lesson with ease.
This CLM is composed of different parts. Each part shall guide you step-by-
step as you discover and understand the lesson prepared for you.
Pre-test is provided to measure your prior knowledge on the lesson. This will
show you if you need to proceed in completing this module or if you need to ask your
facilitator or your teacher’s assistance for better understanding of the lesson. At the
end of this module, you need to answer the post-test to self-check your learning.
Answer keys are provided for all activities and tests. We trust that you will be honest
in using them.
In addition to the material in the main text, Notes to the Teacher is also
provided to our facilitators and parents for strategies and reminders on how they can
best help you in your home-based learning.
Please use this module with care. Do not put unnecessary marks on any part
of this CLM. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises and tests.
Likewise, read the instructions carefully before performing each task.
If you have any question in using this CLM or any difficulty in answering the
tasks in this module, do not hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator.
Thank you.
 What I Need to Know

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Directions: Read and understand each item and choose the
letter of the correct answer. Write your answers on your Science activity notebook.

1. All electromagnetic waves travel through a vacuum at

a. the same speed.
b. speeds that are proportional to their frequency.
c. speeds that are inversely proportional to their frequency.
d. None of the above.

2. Electromagnetic waves are

a. longitudinal.
b. transverse.
c. both longitudinal and transverse.
d. None of the above.

3. The E and B fields in electromagnetic waves are oriented

a. parallel to the wave's direction of travel, as well as to each other.
b. parallel to the waves direction of travel, and perpendicular to each other.
c. perpendicular to the wave's direction of travel, and parallel to each other.
d. perpendicular to the wave's direction of travel, and also to each other.

4. An electromagnetic wave is radiated by a straight wire antenna that is

oriented vertically.
What should be the orientation of a straight wire receiving antenna? It should
be placed
a. vertically.
b. horizontally and in a direction parallel to the wave's direction of motion.
c. horizontally and in a direction perpendicular to the wave's direction of
motion.
d. None of the above.

5. An electromagnetic wave is traveling to the east. At one instant at a given

point its E vector
points straight up. What is the direction of its B vector?
a. north
b. down
c. east
d. south

6. Which of the following correctly lists electromagnetic waves in order from

longest to shortest
wavelength?
a. gamma rays, ultraviolet, infrared, microwaves
b. microwaves, ultraviolet, visible light, gamma rays
c. radio waves, infrared, gamma rays, ultraviolet
d. television, infrared, visible light, X-rays

1
7. What is the wavelength of light waves if their frequency is 5.0X1014 Hz?
a. 0.60 m
b. 6.0 mm
c. 0.060 mm
d. 0.60 micro-m

8. How long does it take light to travel 1.0 m?

a. 3.3 ns
b. 3.3 micro-s
c. 3.3 ms
d. 3.3 s

9. What is the wavelength of a 92.9 MHz radio wave?

a. 32 mm
b. 32 cm
c. 3.2 m
d. 32 m

10. What frequency are 20 mm microwaves?

a. 100 MHz
b. 400 MHz
c. 15 GHz
d. 73 G

2
 Lesson
Superposition of Waves
1

When you open your window in a room early in the morning, the light enters through the
window and spreads throughout the room. Do you wonder why does this happen? The reason behind
this is because the light has got some wave nature, that spreads in the room in all the directions. To
understand this more let us study the Huygen’s Principle.

What I Need to Know

After this lesson, you should be able to:

• Determine the conditions (superposition, path and phase difference,
polarization, amplitude) for interference to occur emphasizing the properties
of a laser as a monochromatic and coherent light source

WHAT IS HUYGEN’S PRINCIPLE?

Huygen’s Principle states that every point of the wavefront is that the source
of the secondary wavelets which spread out in all direction with the speed of a
wave. So if we consider some extent source, it'll emit its wavefront and nature
of the wavefront are going to be spherical one.
In the Huygen’s principle, all the points on the wavefront are going to become a
secondary source. So the wavefronts will in the forward direction. All the secondary
sources emit wavelets. Tangent
drawn to all or any the wavelets is that the
new position of the waveform.
Supposed you’re standing on the
mountain and you throw a stone within the
water from a height. What did you observe as
you throw the stoned in the water? You see that
the stone strikes the surface of the water and
waves are seen surrounding at that time.
Each point on the surface of water starts
oscillating.

1
 The waves spread in all the direction. Earlier the water was at rest. But the
instant we throw the stone within the water, within a couple of fractions of seconds
the disturbance spreads in all directions. There are ripples formed in the water.
The ripples form the concentric revolve around the disturbance and spread
out.
These ripples are nothing but the wavefront. The wavefronts gradually spread in
all the directions. So at all point, we have a wave coming out. The primary wavefront
is made and again from the primary wavefront, a secondary waveform is formed. The
disturbance doesn't last for an extended time. It fades gradually because more and
more waveforms are formed

Superposition

Superposition occurs when two waves occupy an equivalent (the wave at this
point is found by adding the 2 amplitudes of the waves). Waves are most ordinarily
described by variations in some parameter through space and time— height during
a water wave, pressure in a sound wave, or the electromagnetic field in a light wave.
The value of this parameter is named as the amplitude of the wave; the wave may be
a function specifying the amplitude at each point. Superposition of waves results in
what's referred to as interference, which manifests in two types: constructive and
destructive.

Two Types of Wave Interference Constructive Interference

When the two waves come close to one another, their effects add together. If
the crests, or highest parts of the waves, line up perfectly, then the crest of the
combined wave is going to be the sum of the heights of the two original crests.
Likewise, if the bottom parts of the waves
(the troughs) line up just right, then the
combined trough are going to be the depthof
the two original troughs combined. This
referred to as constructive interference, in
which two waves (of an equivalent
wavelength) interact in such how that
they're aligned, resulting in a replacement
wave that is bigger than the original wave

2
 Destructive Interference

Destructive interference
occurs when two waves add
together and the result is a
smaller displacement than would
have been the case. When the
waves have opposite amplitudes
at the point they meet they will
destructively interfere, leading
to no amplitude at that time.

When waves are close, they will interfere constructively or destructively. To

set up a stable and clear interference pattern, two conditions must be met:
1. The sources of the waves must be coherent, which suggest that they emit
identical waves with a continuing phase difference.
2. The waves should be monochromatic - they ought to be of one wavelength.

For example, if two light bulbs are placed side by side there is no interference
effect are observed since the light waves of the bulbs are emitted independently of those
from the other light bulb so it does not meet the condition of the interference but if you
place a single frequency sound waves emitted by two side by side speaker driven by a
single amplifier it can interfere with each other because the two speakers are coherent-
that is they respond to the amplifier in the same way at the same time.

3
 What I have Learned

ACTIVITY 4.1: Crossword Puzzle

1

2 4

Horizontal
2. It occurs when two waves add together and the result is a
smaller displacement than would have been the case
3. It is a Principle states that every point of the wavefront is that the source
of the secondary wavelets which spread out in all direction with the speed
of a wave
5. A wave of a single frequency

Vertical
1. It is the highest surface part of a wave
4. It is when the two waves come close to one another, their effects add together

4
 Lesson
Diffraction of Waves
2

What’s In

Diffraction is that the tendency of a wave emitted from a finite source or

passing through a finite aperture to opened up because it propagates. Diffraction
results from the interference of an infinite number of waves emitted by endless
distribution of source point, consistent with Huygens’s Principle every point on a
wave front of sunshine are often considered to be a secondary source of spherical
wavelets. These wavelets propagate outward with the characteristic speed of the
wave. The wavelets emitted by all points on the wave front interfere with one another
to supply the wave. Huygens ‘Principle also holds for electromagnetic waves. When
studying the propagation of sunshine, we will replace any wave front by a set of
sources distributed uniformly over the wave front, radiating in phase.

What is New

Activity: Diffraction

At the end of the activity, you should be able to explain

diffraction. Materials:

1. Two new pencils with eraser

2. Transparent scotch tape
3. Mini flashlight or a candle with matches or a lighter

5
 Procedure:
1. Light the candle or, if you are using a Mini Maglite, unscrew the top of
the flashlight.

2. Wrap one layer of tape around the top of one of the pencils, just below the
eraser.
3. Place the light on a stable surface at least one arm’s length away from you.

4. Hold up the two pencils, side by side, with the erasers at the top. The tape
wrapped around one pencil should keep the pencils slightly apart, forming
a thin slit between them, just below the tape. Hold both pencils close to
one eye (about 1 inch [2.5 cm] away) and look at the light source through
the slit between the pencils. Squeeze the pencils together, making the slit
smaller.

Questions:
1. While holding the pencils close to your one eye and looking to the
light source you can notice that there is a line perpendicular to the
slit. What will happen position of line of the light if you rotate the
pencil to vertical?

2. What happen to the blob of light if you squeeze the slit together?

3. Notice that the blob has blue and red edges, which of two colors is
closer to the light source? What can you say about their
wavelengths?

What is It

Diffraction of light is commonly defined as the bending of light around

corners such that it spreads out and illuminates areas where a shadow is expected.
Diffraction can be observed using the single-slit experiment where when light passes
through a single slit whose width (w) is on the order of the wavelength of the light.
Its pattern on the screen will be at a distance L >> w away from the slit.

6
What is Single Slit Diffraction?
In the single-slit diffraction experiment, the bending phenomenon of light or
diffraction that causes light from a coherent source interfere with itself and produce
a distinctive pattern on the screen called the diffraction pattern can be observed.
Diffraction is manifested when the sources are small enough that they are relatively
the size of the wavelength of light.

In the figure above, it shows the diffraction effect. When light passes through
a small opening or a narrow slit which is comparable in size to the wavelength λ of
the light, the wave front on the other side of the opening resembles or behave like a
point source of waves.

What I have Learned

Activity:

Directions: Identify the term/s being referred to in each blank. Choose from the
box your answer
of light is commonly define as the of light
around corners such that it spreads out and illuminates areas where a
shadow is expected. Diffraction can be observed using the
experiment
where when passes through a single slit whose
width (w) is on the order of the of the
light.

7
 Bending
Diffraction
Single-slit
Light
Wavelength

Assessment

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Directions: Read and understand each item and choose the
letter of the correct answer. Write your answers on your Science activity notebook.

1. All electromagnetic waves travel through a vacuum at

a. the same speed.
b. speeds that are proportional to their frequency.
c. speeds that are inversely proportional to their frequency.
d. None of the above.

2. Electromagnetic waves are

a. longitudinal.
b. transverse.
c. both longitudinal and transverse.
d. None of the above.

3. The E and B fields in electromagnetic waves are oriented

a. parallel to the wave's direction of travel, as well as to each other.
b. parallel to the waves direction of travel, and perpendicular to each other.
c. perpendicular to the wave's direction of travel, and parallel to each other.
d. perpendicular to the wave's direction of travel, and also to each other.

4. An electromagnetic wave is radiated by a straight wire antenna that is

oriented vertically.
What should be the orientation of a straight wire receiving antenna? It should
be placed
a. vertically.
b. horizontally and in a direction parallel to the wave's direction of motion.
c. horizontally and in a direction perpendicular to the wave's direction of
motion.
d. None of the above.

5. An electromagnetic wave is traveling to the east. At one instant at a given

point its E vector
points straight up. What is the direction of its B vector?
a. north
b. down
c. east
d. south 8
6. Which of the following correctly lists electromagnetic waves in order from
longest to shortest
wavelength?
a. gamma rays, ultraviolet, infrared, microwaves
b. microwaves, ultraviolet, visible light, gamma rays
c. radio waves, infrared, gamma rays, ultraviolet
d. television, infrared, visible light, X-rays

7. What is the wavelength of light waves if their frequency is 5.0X1014 Hz?

a. 0.60 m
b. 6.0 mm
c. 0.060 mm
d. 0.60 micro-m

8. How long does it take light to travel 1.0 m?

a. 3.3 ns
b. 3.3 micro-s
c. 3.3 ms
d. 3.3 s

9. What is the wavelength of a 92.9 MHz radio wave?

a. 32 mm
b. 32 cm
c. 3.2 m
d. 32 m

10. What frequency are 20 mm microwaves?

a. 100 MHz
b. 400 MHz
c. 15 GHz
d. 73 GHz

9
 Answer Key

10. C
9. C
8. A
7. D
6. D
5. D
4. A
3. D
2. B
1. A
Pretest / Posttest

References
Nicholas J. Giordano. 2018. General Physics 2. Manila: REX Book Store Inc

Jerry D. Wilson and Anthony J. Buffa. 2003. PHYSICS 4th Edition.

Philippines: Pearson Education South Asia PTE. LTD

John D. Cutnell and Kenneth W. Johnson. 2004. Physics 6th Edition.

Philippines: Golden Gate Printers

Giancoli, Douglas. PHYSICS Principles with Applications Sixth Edition.

PDF file. September 2, 2020. www.Giancoli.Physics(6th).pdf

10
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