Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
Two coherent beams, each of intensity when alone, meet on a screen. Find the intensity at a point where the phase difference is , at a point where it is and at a point where it is . Then find the average intensity over the whole pattern.
Two coherent waves of phase difference give . A path difference gives . Bright: . Dark: .
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. At . .
Step 2. At . . This is exactly , the sum of the two beams.
Step 3. At . .
Step 4. The average. Over a whole cycle of the phase, the average of is . So .
Answer: ; ; ; .
Check. The two beams alone give in all, and the pattern gives the same on average. Interference moves the energy. It does not make or destroy any.
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