BACHELOR WITH PHYSICS AS MAJOR
3rd SEMESTER
PHY322J: PHYSICS: WAVES AND OPTICS CREDITS: THEORY – 4, PRACTICAL: 2
THEORY (4 CREDITS: 60 HOURS) MAXIMUM MARKS: 100, MINIMUM MARKS: 36
Course Learning Outcomes:
After taking this course, the students will have understanding of the following
core concepts and their applications to real physical systems:
• Simple harmonic motion, superposition principle and its application to find the
resultant of superposition of harmonic oscillations.
• Concepts of vibrations in strings and different kinds of wave motion.
• Interference as superposition of waves from coherent sources.
• Basic concepts of Diffraction: Fraunhoffer and Fresnel Diffraction.
• Concepts of the polarization of light and Holography.
UNIT – 1 (15 HOURS)
Simple Harmonic Oscillations. Differential Equation of SHM and its Solution. Mass- Spring
system, Simple Pendulum and Compound Pendulum. Superposition of colinear Harmonic
oscillations having equal frequencies and different frequencies (Beats). Superposition of
Two Perpendicular Harmonic Oscillations: Graphical and Analytical Methods. Lissajous
Figures with equal an unequal frequency and their uses. Waves Motion- General: Transverse
waves on a string. Travelling and standing waves on a string. Normal Modes of a string.
Group velocity, Phase velocity.
UNIT – 2 (15 HOURS)
System with Two Degrees of Freedom: Coupled Oscillators. Normal Coordinates and
Normal Modes. Energy Relation and Energy Transfer. Normal Modes of N Coupled
Oscillators. Free Oscillations. Damped Oscillations: Damping Coefficient, Log Decrement.
Forced Oscillations: Transient and Steady States, Amplitude, Phase, Resonance, Sharpness
of Resonance, Power Dissipation and Quality Factor. Helmholtz Resonator.
UNIT – 3 (15 HOURS)
Fermat’s principle and its application to obtain laws of reflection and refraction, matrix
method in paraxial optics, cardinal points of an optical system, system of two lenses.
Interference: Double slit experiment. Temporal and spatial coherence, localized fringes in
thin films, fringes of equal thickness and equal inclination. Fresnel’s biprism. Newton’s
rings, Michelson’s interferometer, Principle of Fabry-Perot interferometer.
UNIT – 4 (15 HOURS)
Fraunhofer diffraction: Fraunhofer diffraction at one, two and N slits, diffraction grating,
Rayleigh criterion of resolution, resolving power of grating.
Fresnel diffraction: Fresnel’s half period zones, zone plate, Fresnel diffraction at circular
aperture, explanation of rectilinear propagation.
Polarization: plane, circular and elliptical polarizations-Production and analysis.
Holography: Recording of hologram, reconstruction process, applications.
Text Books:
1. Vibrations And Waves, A.P. French, MIT Introductory Physics Series.
2. Waves and Oscillations, R.N. Chaudhuri. New Central Age International Publishers.
3. Optics, Ajoy Ghatak , McGraw Hill
4. Optics: From Fourier to Fresnel, Charles S. Adams, Ifan G. Hughes, University Oxford
Press.
PRACTICALS (2 CREDITS: 30 HOURS) MAXIMUM MARKS: 50
MINIMUM MARKS: 18
1.To determine the Refractive Index of the Material of a glass Prism using Sodium Light.
2. To determine Dispersive Power of the Material of a glass Prism using Mercury Light
3. To determine the Resolving Power of a Prism.
4. To determine the value of Cauchy Constants of a material of a prism.
5. To determine wavelength of sodium light using Fresnel Biprism.
6. To determine wavelength of sodium light using Newton's Rings.
7. To determine the wavelength of Laser light using Diffraction of Single Slit.
8. To determine wavelength of (1) Sodium & (2) spectrum of Mercury light using plane
diffraction Grating
9. To determine the Resolving Power of a Plane Diffraction Grating.
10. To measure the intensity using photosensor and laser in diffraction patterns of single
and double slits.
11. To investigate the motion of coupled oscillators.
12. To study Lissajous Figures.
13. To determine the Frequency of an Electrically Maintained Tuning Fork by Melde’s
Experiment.
Books:
1. B.Sc. Practical Physics, C.L. Arora, S. Chand and Company Limited.
2. A textbook of Practical Physics, Indu Prakash, Ramakrishna, Kitab Mahal, New Delhi
