Java applet to show the interference pattern of light due to a double slit. The wavelength of the light, the separation between the slits, and the distance from the slits to the observation screen can all be varied. Qualitative in nature, this material is to help develop basic student understanding of interference processes.
Type of Material:
Lecture/Demo
Identify Major Learning Goals:
Pictorial understanding of the interference between light waves.
Target Student Population:
Introductory undergraduate physics classes covering waves and optics
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
Introductory undergraduate physics classes covering waves and optics. Also can be used at the high school level.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
Graphics are clear, and the use of color to distinguish the wavelength of the light is quite compelling.
The ability to change the wavelength of the light and the slit parameters makes it useful for qualitative demonstrations.
Concerns:
The output interference pattern has no scale, so there is no quantitative connection between the pattern and the input parameters.
The text included with the applet is insufficient to fully explain the physics, so students must have been introduced to interference phenomena from some other source.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
Material is useful for classroom demonstrations.
The ability to change the parameters in the problem and observe the resultant change in the output interference gives a useful demonstration on the topic.
Concerns:
This is a qualitative simulation, so that it could not be used for homework or more detailed study.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
This applet has a simple interface with obvious controls. Results of changing parameters are shown immediately.
Concerns:
None
Creative Commons:
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