Diffraction work differently on water waves vs light waves?

In the 'main lobe' region, the wavelets interfere constructively and produce a bright spot. This is why you have a 'beam' of light from a small aperture.
  • #1
Karagoz
When the water waves go through one wide slit (slit wider than wave length), there's no fringes, the water waves spread all over the sides, like in this pic:

http://electron6.phys.utk.edu/light/images1-3/misc3b.jpg

or in this pic: http://philschatz.com/physics-book/resources/Figure_28_02_06a.jpg

But when light waves goes through a wide slit, it's split into multiple sides, there are fringes between them, it's not spread equally all over the place, like in this simulation (if you take width of the slit to 3000-5000 nm):

http://www.walter-fendt.de/html5/phen/singleslit_en.htm

Why there are no gaps when water waves go through a wide slit, but there are gaps when light waves go through a wide slit?
 
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  • #2
Karagoz said:
Why there are no gaps when water waves go through a wide slit, but there are gaps when light waves go through a wide slit?

Surface waves and light waves have many superficial similarities (and methods of analyses), but they are not equivalent and have important differences- different dispersion properties, for example. One particularly spectacular example of this equivalence is the focusing of water waves by a 'lens' in a large test basin:

https://www.cambridge.org/core/jour...d-experiment/0E9C470B0A35698C77975F06C225AC4E

Don't take the cartoon analogies too seriously.
 
  • #3
Karagoz said:
When the water waves go through one wide slit (slit wider than wave length), there's no fringes, the water waves spread all over the sides, like in this pic:

http://electron6.phys.utk.edu/light/images1-3/misc3b.jpg

or in this pic: http://philschatz.com/physics-book/resources/Figure_28_02_06a.jpg

But when light waves goes through a wide slit, it's split into multiple sides, there are fringes between them, it's not spread equally all over the place, like in this simulation (if you take width of the slit to 3000-5000 nm):

http://www.walter-fendt.de/html5/phen/singleslit_en.htm

Why there are no gaps when water waves go through a wide slit, but there are gaps when light waves go through a wide slit?

Exactly the same Maths applies to water waves and light waves, with respect to simple diffraction. The elementary links you refer to are elementary and they don't commit to any 'structure' off axis. If you just look at the visible wavelets on the water surface, it is hard to distinguish anything apart from in the main direction.
The ripple tank demo is pretty much a waste of time for serious analysis. The range of amplitudes that you can actually distinguish is very small and you cannot (at least, I cannot, after a lot of playing around) swear that you are seeing anything but the main 'forward' pattern. Otoh, the side lobes (fringes) of a slit pattern with light is much easier to spot (our eyes are very good with light!)
If you put in the appropriate values into that calculator (strictly to scale) you will get the same answer for light or water (or sound with water or air, for that matter).
 
  • #5
Karagoz said:
So you mean it looks like this (if I don't see wrong, I see some:
http://figures.boundless-cdn.com/16694/full/iffraction-4-20wavelengths.png

Or this (at the left side): http://electron6.phys.utk.edu/light/images1-3/single1.jpg

Or this: https://phys.libretexts.org/@api/de...?revision=1&size=bestfit&width=226&height=162

Some fringes appear when water waves pass through singe wide slit?
The first picture shows water waves going through a wide slit, where we see a main beam which starts off parallel and then diverges. There are also side lobes visible. This is correct and is the same as with light and radio waves.
 
  • #6
Karagoz said:
Some fringes appear when water waves pass through singe wide slit?

Yes, and there's a simple reason why. That reason is common for all types of waves, and understanding that reason is essential to fully understand any diffraction and interference phenomena.

Here's a hint: describe some properties of the incident wave(s). How can you create waves that look similar?
 
  • #7
Karagoz said:
So you mean it looks like this (if I don't see wrong, I see some:
http://figures.boundless-cdn.com/16694/full/iffraction-4-20wavelengths.png

Or this (at the left side): http://electron6.phys.utk.edu/light/images1-3/single1.jpg

Or this: https://phys.libretexts.org/@api/de...?revision=1&size=bestfit&width=226&height=162

Some fringes appear when water waves pass through singe wide slit?
I am not convinced that the top figure is not a simulation. (double negative but you know what I mean). The other figures are better and must have taken quite an effort. The sorts of ripple tank / oscillator/ projector that schools tend to have available do not often produce such good images. Also you really need to be able to strobe the image so that the waves are frozen in time for the viewer.
But the existence of the 'null' rays should help to prove that Diffraction Works the same Everywhere.
 

Related to Diffraction work differently on water waves vs light waves?

1. How does diffraction work differently on water waves compared to light waves?

Diffraction is the ability of waves to bend around obstacles or pass through narrow openings. The main difference between water waves and light waves is their physical nature. Water waves are mechanical waves that require a medium to propagate, whereas light waves are electromagnetic waves that can travel through vacuum. This difference in nature leads to different behaviors when encountering obstacles or narrow openings.

2. Why do water waves diffract more than light waves?

Water waves have a longer wavelength and a lower frequency compared to light waves. This means that water waves have a larger size and are more easily affected by obstacles or openings. Additionally, water waves are subject to the laws of fluid dynamics, which can cause them to diffract more easily compared to light waves, which follow the laws of electromagnetism.

3. Can diffraction be observed in both water and light?

Yes, diffraction is a universal phenomenon that can be observed in all types of waves, including water and light waves. However, the extent of diffraction may differ depending on the properties of the wave, such as wavelength and frequency, as well as the properties of the medium through which the wave is traveling.

4. How does the medium affect diffraction in water and light waves?

The medium through which a wave travels can affect the diffraction pattern. In water, the properties of the medium, such as density and viscosity, can cause the wave to diffract more easily. In contrast, in light, the properties of the medium, such as refractive index, can affect the diffraction pattern. For example, light waves diffract differently when traveling through air compared to when traveling through water.

5. What are some real-life applications of diffraction in water and light?

Diffraction is used in various real-life applications, such as in the design of lenses and optical instruments, the study of ocean currents and tides, and in the development of sonar technology. In water, diffraction is also utilized in the design of watercrafts and bridges to minimize the effects of waves. In light, diffraction is used in the development of holograms and in the analysis of crystal structures in X-ray diffraction studies.

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