Two identical waves undergo pure constructive interference. How is the resultant intensity related to that of the individual waves?
A. resultant intensity is half of wave intensity
B. resultant intensity is same as individual wave intensity
C. resultant intensity is double individual wave intensity incorrect
D. resultant intensity is quadruple individual wave intensity
I said double because it's constructive interference, but that was wrong. What should it be and why?
I'm in an online class and material about constructive interference and intensity wasn't covered before this question......
amplitude is double, so intensity is ...? http://www.schoolphysics.co.uk/age16-19/Wave%20properties/Wave%20properties/text/Intensity_and_amplitude/index.html
To determine the resultant intensity when two waves undergo pure constructive interference, you need to understand how intensity is related to the amplitude of a wave. Intensity is directly proportional to the square of the amplitude. So, if two waves with equal amplitudes interfere constructively, their resultant intensity will be related to the individual wave's intensity.
When two waves interfere constructively, the amplitudes of the waves add up, resulting in a larger combined amplitude for the resultant wave. The intensity is then determined by squaring this combined amplitude. Since the two waves are identical, their amplitudes are equal, and when they add up, the resultant wave's amplitude becomes twice that of each individual wave.
When you square the resultant combined amplitude (twice the individual amplitude), you get four times the intensity of each individual wave. Therefore, the correct answer is D. The resultant intensity is quadruple the intensity of each individual wave in the case of pure constructive interference.
It's understandable that you might not have been able to answer this question correctly without prior knowledge of constructive interference and intensity. Remember to review the concepts of interference and intensity in your online class material to strengthen your understanding of these topics.