Practice question
Question
What causes the intensity of light to be zero at certain points in a diffraction pattern?
Explanation
**Wave model predicts** light bends away from normal when entering rarer medium because speed increases, Snell's law n₁ sinθ₁ = n₂ sinθ₂, n₁>n₂ so sinθ₂>sinθ₁ θ₂>θ₁ away from normal, towards normal when denser, wavefront slows in denser, Huygens construction shows bending. Complete destructive interference occurs when secondary wavelets from different parts of the slit cancel each other out, resulting in zero intensity at minima. Using Δ = d sinθ, y = n λ D/d, a sinθ = n λ, I = I₀ cos²θ, n = c/v, sinC = 1/n, λ' = λ/n and A = 2a cos(φ/2), calculation gives Destructive interference, illustrating interference, diffraction and polarization principles.
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