Unit 14 · Waves, Sound, and Physical Optics

Chapter 14.5

Thin-Film Interference

A soap bubble has no color of its own, yet it shimmers in every color, and the top of it turns black just before it pops. Two reflections, a hair's-width apart, are interfering.

in preparation · lesson 23 of 27

By the end

  1. 01Predict the phase change on reflection from a faster or a slower medium
  2. 02Combine the two reflections from a thin film to predict constructive or destructive interference
  3. 03Explain the colors of oil films and soap bubbles and the quarter-wave antireflection coating

In unit 14

  1. 14.1Waves, Sound, and the Doppler Effect
  2. 14.2Boundaries, Polarization, and Light as a Wave
  3. 14.3Superposition, Beats, and Standing Waves
  4. 14.4Diffraction and Double-Slit Interference
  5. 14.5Thin-Film Interference
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