Summary Notes on waves and optics

Included in these notes are the key definitions (e.g. Coherence, phase difference) as well as differences between progressive and stationary waves and longitudinal and transverse waves. There is also a detailed explanation of what it means for a wave to be polarised and some of its applications including polarised sunglasses and polarised TV and radio signals. In addition, there is a description of superposition including the difference between constructive and destructive interference. The experiment involving creating stationary waves on a string is described as well as how nodes and antinodes are formed. A thorough analysis of young's double slit experiment is performed as well as the concept of diffraction. In the optics section, an explanation of the refractive index of a material is given as well as how this affects the path of a ray. Snell's law is explained as well as the principle of total internal reflection and the critical angle. The ways in which a signal is weakened throughout an optical fibre are given as well as solutions to minimise pulse broadening(i.e. signal degradation). Finally, all relevant equations for this topic are listed including those not listed in the formula booklet.