Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
Interference patterns occur when two or more waves overlap and interact with each other. These patterns can be characterized by regions of constructive interference (bright fringes) and regions of destructive interference (dark fringes).
Related terms
Young's double-slit experiment: Young's double-slit experiment is an experiment that demonstrates the wave nature of light by passing it through two closely spaced slits and observing the resulting interference pattern.
Diffraction grating: A diffraction grating is a device with many closely spaced parallel slits or lines that can separate light into its component wavelengths.
Coherence: Coherence refers to the property of waves having a constant phase relationship, which is necessary for producing stable and predictable interference patterns.