Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Measuring the Behavioral Effects of Intraocular Scatter
Published on: February 18, 2021
Diffraction patterns in the shadows of disks and obstacles
Abstract:
We compare the Fresnel diffraction pattern of a thin circular disk with that of a square obstacle, specifically evaluating the on-axis field strength. Photographs of the diffraction patterns reveal some curious features for the square obstacle. Second, the precise electric and magnetic fields behind a conducting circular disk are evaluated without invoking the Fresnel approximation and contrasted with the rigorous electromagnetic result for a metal sphere. The calculations show that the two cases differ only slightly in the Fresnel region.
Related Concept Videos
Interference and Diffraction
X-ray Crystallography
Diffraction
Diffraction is the change in the direction of travel experienced by an electromagnetic wave when it encounters a physical barrier whose dimensions are comparable to those of the wavelength of the light. X-rays are electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths about as long as the distance between neighboring...
X-ray Diffraction of Biological Samples
According to Bragg's law, when X-rays strike the sample positioned on a stage, the rays are scattered by the electron clouds around the sample atoms. The X-ray diffraction or scattering is caused by constructive interference of the X-ray waves that reflect off the internal crystal...
Determination of Crystal Structures
Phase Contrast and Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy
In-phase-contrast microscopes, interference between light directly passing through a cell and light refracted by cellular components is used to create high-contrast, high-resolution images without staining. It is the oldest and simplest type of microscope that creates an image by altering the wavelengths of light rays passing through the specimen. Altered wavelength paths are created using an annular stop in the condenser. The annular stop produces a hollow cone of...
Electric Field of a Charged Disk
The system's symmetry is in the cylindrical directions across the plane of the charge. As a result, the electric fields created by various surface charge elements nullify each other in the direction parallel to the surface. Thereby, the resulting electric field is perpendicular to the plane. Since the disk is...
