Summarizing the Wave Aspect of Light

Summarizing The Wave Aspect of Light: Interference

• Wave optics is the branch of optics that must be used when light interacts with small objects or whenever the wave characteristics of light are considered.
• Wave characteristics are those associated with interference and diffraction.
• Visible light is the type of electromagnetic wave to which our eyes respond and has a wavelength in the range of 380 to 760 nm.
• Like all EM waves, the following relationship is valid in vacuum: \(c=f\lambda \), where \(c=3×{\text{10}}^{8}\phantom{\rule{0.25em}{0ex}}\text{m/s}\) is the speed of light, \(f\) is the frequency of the electromagnetic wave, and \(\lambda \) is its wavelength in vacuum.
• The wavelength \({\lambda }_{\text{n}}\) of light in a medium with index of refraction \(n\) is \({\lambda }_{\text{n}}=\lambda /n\). Its frequency is the same as in vacuum.

Glossary

wavelength in a medium

\({\lambda }_{\text{n}}=\lambda /n\), where \(\lambda \) is the wavelength in vacuum, and \(n\) is the index of refraction of the medium