SPH 192: WAVES AND OPTICS

Course Content

Waves

• Elastic waves in a medium.
• Transverse and longitudinal waves.
• Characteristics of waves;
  • The superposition principle.
  •  Interference of waves.
  • Reflection and transmission of waves at an interface
• General equations of transverse and longitudinal wave equations
• Elastic waves in Solid rod,  spring, water surface,  string, air.
• Standing waves; Concept of resonance applied to standing waves in a string.
• Sound waves; Beats; Doppler effect.

Optics

• Huygens's principle.
• Optical path length.
• Fermat’s principle.
• Reflection and refraction of light waves.
•  Interference effects due to apertures and thin films.
• Interferometers.
• Fraunhofer diffraction, gratings, resolving power. Polarisation. Measurement of speed of light.
• Reflection and refraction at spherical surfaces.
• Thin lenses, aberrations.
• Optical instruments.
• The eye and its defects.

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