Question
Differentiate between interference and diffraction.
✓
Answer
Difference between Interference and Diffraction
| Interference | Diffraction |
| 1. Interference pattern is obtained by two coherent sources. | Diffraction pattern is obtained by single source. |
| 2. Interference is due to superposition of wavelets of different wave-fronts. | Diffraction is due to super-position of wavelets of the same wavefront. |
| 3. Alternate bright and dark bands of equal width are observed. | Alternate bands of maximum and minimum brightness are observed. They are of unequal width. The width of central maxima is double of other subsidiary maximas. |
| 4. The intensity of all the bright fringes, is the same. | The intensity of central maxima is maximum while the intensity of secondary maxima decreases gradually. |
| 5. Minimas of interference fringes are of zero intensity, hence they are perfectly dark. | In diffraction fringes minimas are never perfectly dark. |
| 6. No diffraction bands are observed in interference. | Interference bands can be observed in diffraction. |
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