Overall Expectations
By the end of this course, students will:
demonstrate an understanding of the wave model of electromagnetic radiation, and describe how it explains diffraction patterns, interference, and polarization;
perform experiments relating the wave model of light and technical applications of electromagnetic radiation (e.g., lasers and fibre optics) to the phenomena of refraction, diffraction, interference, and polarization;
analyse phenomena involving light and colour, explain them in terms of the wave model of light, and explain how this model provides a basis for developing technological devices.
Specific Expectations: Understanding Basic Concepts
By the end of this course, students will:
define and explain the concepts and units related to the wave nature of light (e.g., diffraction, dispersion, wave interference, polarization, electromagnetic radiation, electromagnetic spectrum);
describe, citing examples, how electromagnetic radiation, as a form of energy, is produced and transmitted, and how it interacts with matter;
describe the phenomenon of wave interference as it applies to light in qualitative and quantitative terms, using diagrams and sketches;
describe and explain the phenomenon of wave diffraction as it applies to light in quantitative terms, using diagrams;
describe and explain the experimental evidence supporting a wave model of light (e.g., describe the scientific principles related to Young’s double-slit experiment and explain how his results led to a general acceptance of the wave model of light).
Ripple Tank Experiments