Physics: Optics and Waves Flashcards
7 cards from real OAT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Physics: Optics and Waves flashcards as text
In a single-slit diffraction pattern, the width of the central maximum is affected by:
Answer: Both the wavelength and the slit width
The central maximum half-width is given by sinθ = λ/a, so it depends on both wavelength λ and slit width a.
An object is placed inside the focal point of a converging lens. The image formed is:
Answer: Virtual, upright, and enlarged
When the object is inside the focal length, a converging lens acts as a magnifying glass, producing a virtual, upright, and enlarged image.
The electromagnetic spectrum from longest to shortest wavelength is ordered as:
Answer: Radio, microwave, infrared, visible, UV, X-ray, gamma
From longest to shortest wavelength: radio > microwave > infrared > visible > ultraviolet > X-ray > gamma rays.
Which of the following best describes polarization of light?
Answer: Light waves restricted to oscillate in a single plane
Polarization restricts the oscillation of the electric field of light to a single plane perpendicular to the direction of propagation.
The frequency of a wave does NOT change when the wave:
Answer: Passes from one medium to another
When a wave passes from one medium to another, its frequency remains constant while its speed and wavelength change.
A convex mirror is used as a rearview mirror because it provides:
Answer: A virtual, reduced, wide-angle view
A convex mirror always forms a virtual, upright, and reduced image, giving a wider field of view useful for safety mirrors.
The thin lens equation 1/f = 1/do + 1/di uses the sign convention that a virtual image has:
Answer: Negative di
By the standard sign convention, a virtual image forms on the same side as the incoming light and is assigned a negative image distance.