Name: ___________________ Class: _________ Date: ____________

Physics Experiment: Light as a Wave

Go to the Wave Interference pHet Simulation,

https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/wave-interference/latest/wave-interference_all.html.

Follow all instructions and answer all questions.

Part 1: Diffraction

1) Click on: . Play with the settings to see how they work.

2) Now that you are familiar with the simulation, select the box ; adjust the width

and height so you get a tall, narrow opening

3) Select a wavelength in the red end of the color spectrum and then turn on the light

4) Describe the diffraction pattern that appears. If you are doing this document electronically,

you may paste a screenshot.

5) How is the diffraction pattern oriented, relative to the opening?

The pattern is oriented horizontally, different from the opening which is a tall vertical space.

1
Name: ___________________ Class: _________ Date: ____________

6) Now make the opening short and wide.

7) Describe the diffraction pattern that appears or place a screenshot below:

8) How is the diffraction pattern oriented, relative to the opening?

a. The pattern is oriented as a vertical light while the opening is a horizontal shape.

9) Now max out the width and height of the opening

10) Describe the diffraction pattern that appears or place a screenshot below:

11) How is the diffraction pattern oriented, relative to the opening?

a. The pattern is oriented as a cross not inherently vertical or horizontal because the
shape of the opening is a square and even in both width and height.

12) Now minimize the width and height of the opening.

2
Name: ___________________ Class: _________ Date: ____________

13) Describe the diffraction pattern that appears:

14) How is the diffraction pattern oriented, relative to the opening? The pattern has a large dot
in the middle with other smaller dots working on the way out in four different lines.

15) Now, change the wavelength to the other side of the spectrum. Move the wavelength slider
to the blue end of the spectrum.
16) Repeat the same shapes of the box that you did for the red light.
17) How does the diffraction pattern of blue light compare to the diffraction pattern of red light?

When you move the light to the blue side of the spectrum the diffraction pattern becomes a
lot smaller compared to the diffraction patterns on the red side of the spectrum.

18) Try other wavelengths of light.

19) Explain how this shows light behaves like a wave.

When a wavelength gets bigger, and the light moves towards the warmer section of the
spectrum, the light of diffraction also is reflected as larger compared to when the
wavelength gets smaller and goes towards the cooler light section the light of diffraction is
smaller.

3
Name: ___________________ Class: _________ Date: ____________

Part 2: Interference

1) Down at the bottom, select

2) Select laser.
3) Set Amplitude in the middle
4) Turn on:
a. Screen

b. Intensity
5) Pick a color with the frequency slider and write the color you chose. Dark Blue

6) Turn on only one of the lights .

7) Describe how you can determine the wavelength of the color of light you chose using any or
all of the tools and controls in the simulation.
You can determine the wavelength of the dark blue color by using the measuring tape in
between the waves of light from dark to dark.

8) Now go figure out the wavelength of the light you chose and write it here___219 nm_____.
Be sure and put correct units on it!
9) Calculate the frequency of the color of light you chose (you may need to check your notes or
the textbook to find an equation to use). Write the frequency of the color you chose,
here___7.3*10 to the -7 Hz____. Be sure and put correct units on it!

4
Name: ___________________ Class: _________ Date: ____________

10) If you changed the Amplitude, set it back to the middle and describe the intensity chart.

Now, max out the Amplitude. How did the intensity chart change?

5
Name: ___________________ Class: _________ Date: ____________

The intensity when the amplitude is in the middle is almost a straight line,
showing very little wave or action on the intensity chat where when you max out the
intensity there are more curves and the right moves to the right of the chart.

11) Pick a new color with the Frequency slider. After letting the waves propagate across, describe
how the intensity chart compares to the previous color.

When you change the color to something like red the intensity chart and the line on it moves
a lot more compared to blue and moves in longer waves compared to the shorter ebbs and
flows of the dark blue intensity chart.

12) Turn on the other light and let the waves propagate across. Describe the intensity chart; how
many “bumps” appear and how tall are they compared to the previous intensity chart?
There are more bumps with the dark blue and the height may be slightly more but it is
similar in height to the red light intensity chart.

6
Name: ___________________ Class: _________ Date: ____________

13) Change the Amplitude back to the middle. Describe the intensity chart; how many “bumps”
appear and how tall are they compared to the previous intensity chart?
The bumps decrease and it looks like they are shorter compared to the previous intensity
chart but not by much.

14) Now, max out the separation (4000 nm) and let the waves propagate across. Describe the
screen at the right side of the simulation (next to the intensity chart) and the intensity chart.
The screen itself is reflecting the light and the waves in stripes of colors moving horizontally
towards the intensity chart.

15) Vary the Amplitude; describe what affect it has on the screen and the intensity chart.

When you decrease the amplitude the intensity chart bumps decrease in height but remain
in numbers. The light reflected on the screen gets much more dull.

16) Vary Frequency; describe what effect it has on the screen and the intensity chart.
With more warm colors of frequency the lines reflected on the screen are thicker compared
to when there are blue colors of frequency and the bumps on the intensity chart are even
taller and there are less bumps.

17) What settings can you change in the simulation to change the number of colored lines on the
screen? The frequency.

18) Adjust the settings on the simulation to get the brightest and most lines on the screen. List
your settings, here: A cooler frequency, around dark blue, and the highest separation with a
high amplitude.

19) What causes the alternating dark and colored areas on the screen at the right side of the
simulation (next to the intensity chart)? The colored areas are a reflection of the colored
waves while the dark areas are the areas the waves do not permeate.

20) Explain how this demonstrates light behaves like a wave. The light comes in waves not in a
block of color and this is shown in the screen reflecting both the colored areas and the space
in between.

7
Name: ___________________ Class: _________ Date: ____________

Part 3: Slits

1) Down at the bottom, select

2) Select light
3) Turn on:
a. Screen

b. Intensity
4) Based on your experience in parts one and two of this lab, describe what you expect to
happen to the light pattern as you vary the number of slits, the width of the slits, and the
separation between the slits. As you vary the number of slits and the width of slits I believe it
will affect the light being reflected out, the wider the slit the more light and the more slits
the more light shown. The separation between the slits will show in separation between rays
of light.

5) Pick a color to use & record here: Dark Blue

6) Set Amplitude to maximum. Turn on the light generator. Determine the wavelength and
frequency of the color you chose.

λ = ____298.1 nm_________ (don’t forget to put correct units on your answer)

f = _______9.94*10 to the -7 Hz______ (don’t forget to put correct units on your answer)

7) Set the simulation for 1 slit with a width of 200 nm. Describe what appears on the screen
and the intensity chart. The reflection on the screen is hard to see and very light, the

8
Name: ___________________ Class: _________ Date: ____________

intensity chart is making one shallow bump.

8) What do you expect to happen if you lower the Amplitude? The intensity and reflection on
the screen would get lighter and less intense.

9) Set Amplitude in the middle. Did it do what you expected it to? The waves were less defined
and the intensity looks almost like a stationary straight line.

10) DON’T MOVE ANYTHING YET! Notice near the bottom of the simulation the double green

arrows . DON’T MOVE ANYTHING YET! Those will move the position of the
slit to the left or right. BEFORE MOVING THE SLIT, what do you think will happen to the
screen and intensity chart if you move the slit to the left (closer to the light source)? What do
you think will happen to the screen and intensity chart if you move the slit to the right
(farther from the light source)?
If it is closer to the light source the screen and intensity chart will be less intense but if you
move it closer to the right they will be more visual and higher intensity.

11) Move the slit closer to the light source and describe what you see on the screen and
intensity chart. It is hard to make out the waves and there is nothing on the screen or the
intensity chart.

12) Move the slit farther from the light source and describe what you see on the screen and
intensity chart. It is still harder to see anything on the screen but the bump on the intensity
chart is taller.

13) What changed on the screen and intensity chart when you moved the position of the slit?
When you move the slit closer to the intensity chart the bump on the intensity chart gets
taller and more pronounced, it is still hard to notice anything on the screen.

14) Put the slit back half-way between the light and the screen.
15) Set the simulation for 2 slits, 200 nm slit width, and slit separation of 1600 nm. Describe
what you see on screen and intensity chart. There are multiple small bumps on the intensity
chart but I still can not see anything on the screen my color choice may be too cool.

9
Name: ___________________ Class: _________ Date: ____________

16) Change the slit width to 400 nm. Describe what you see on screen and intensity chart. You
can now see faint lines on the screen and the bumps on the intensity chart have gotten taller.

17) Change the slit width to 800 nm. Describe what you see on screen and intensity chart. The
lines on the intensity chart are thicker and a little brighter and the bumps on the intensity
chart got taller but disproportionately, the ones that correspond directly with the slits are
taller than the one in the middle.

18) What changed on the screen and intensity chart as you increased the slit width? As you
increased the slit width the lines on the screen got thicker and brighter and the two main
bumps on the intensity chart opposite the slits got taller.

19) Change the slit separation to 3200 nm. Describe what you see on screen and intensity chart.
The lines on the screen moved to the edges where the slits are and are more undefined
while the bumps on the intensity chart also moved to focus on either slit but there are
bumps on the bumps instead of being one cohesive bump.

20) Using the double green arrows, ,move the slit closer to the light source
and describe what you see on the screen and intensity chart.

21) Now, move the slit farther from the light source and describe what you see on the screen
and intensity chart. The lines on the screen got very faint and the bumps on the intensity
chart are disorganized, not following the structure of the slits and the ones in the middle
have the tallest heights.

22) What changed on the screen and intensity chart when you moved the position of the slit?
When you move the position of the slit closer to the light source the definition of the light on
the screen drastically decreases and the intensity chart ceases its organization by slit and the

10
Name: ___________________ Class: _________ Date: ____________

bumps in the middle not affected by a slit directly are the tallest.

23) Adjust the settings on the simulation to get the brightest and most lines on the screen. List

your settings, here:

Part 4: Summary
Explain, in complete sentences, how Young’s Double Slit experiment (diffraction, wave interference,
etc.) demonstrates light behaves as a wave.

Young’s Double Slit experiment demonstrates the wave nature of light through the interference
pattern formed on a screen placed behind the slits. When a beam of light passes through the slits, it
diffracts, creating two coherent wavefronts that overlap and interact with each other in both a
deconstructive and constructive interference pattern. This then manifests to create bright and dark
dashes in an alternating pattern. This pattern of interference is a nature of wave behavior, specifically
in the context of amplitudes which defines that lights have wave-like features.

11