Classical Waves
Classical waves are emitted at the source and arrive at the detector only if the wave passes through the slits.
Key features:
- Waves arrive continuously. A detector can measure the energy carried by the waves, which is proportional to the square of the height of the wave at that point.
- The energy of the wave at a point (x) with both slits open (I12) is NOT the sum of the energy of the wave when only the top slit is opened (I1) and the energy of the wave when only the bottom slit is opened (I2). An interference pattern is seen, formed by the superposition of the part of the wave that passes through the top slit with the part that passes through the bottom slit.