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Phase Difference

The phase of an oscillating particle is the fraction of a cycle a particle has completed since the start of the cycle and is measured in radians.The phase difference is the difference in phase between the vibrations of the two particles and is also measured in radians.
phase difference
in radians
=Δd ×2π
λ
=Δt×2π
T

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Specification: AQA Physics (7407), AS-level, 3.3.1.1 Progressive waves. Topic: Waves.

Key terms in this lesson

Refractive index
A measure of how much a substance slows down and bends light, equal to the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to the speed of light in the substance, or, at a boundary, sin i divided by sin r.

More in Waves

All 24 lessons in Waves · All AQA AS-level Physics topics