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Physics - Wave Optics

Practise 188 JEE Main previous year questions on Wave Optics, compiled from papers spanning 2002 to 2026. Each question is pulled directly from the actual exam paper it appeared in, so you're practising in the exact style and difficulty JEE Main tests.

Wave Optics has been asked in 22 of the 25 years of JEE Main papers analysed (2002–2026), with 188 questions in all. 36% of them were easy, 50% moderate and 14% tough. Most of its questions came from 2024, with 22 questions that year. In the last three years (2024–2026) it had 51 questions across 49 papers, about 1 per paper.

The chapter's 7 topics are not weighted equally: Youngs Double Slit Experiment (90 questions, 48%), Diffraction of Light (36 questions, 19%), and Polarization of Light (34 questions, 18%) have been asked the most. Youngs Double Slit Experiment has also led over the last five years, with 51 questions. Youngs Double Slit Experiment has produced the most tough questions (13).

  1. 1Some distant star is to be observed by some telescope of diameter of objective lens , at an angular resolution of radian. If the wavelength 08 Apr, 2026 (E)Diffraction of Light
  2. 2In interference experiment the path difference between two interfering waves at a point on the screen is , where is the wavelength of these 06 Apr, 2026 (M)Interference of Light
  3. 3An unpolarized light of intensity passes through polarizer and then through a certain optically active solution and finally it goes to analy06 Apr, 2026 (M)Polarization of Light
  4. 4In a Young double slit experiment, the wavelength of incident light is Å, the separation between slits and is cm and the distance between sl06 Apr, 2026 (E)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  5. 5In Young's double slit experiment, the fringe width of the interference pattern produced on the screen is m. If the experiment is carried ou05 Apr, 2026 (M)Young's Double Slit Experiment
  6. 6The maximum intensity in a Young's double slit experiment is . Distance between the slits ( ) is , where is the wavelength of light used. Th05 Apr, 2026 (E)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  7. 7A slit of width is illuminated by light of wavelength . The linear separation between and minima in the diffraction pattern produced on a sc04 Apr, 2026 (M)Diffraction of Light
  8. 8A telescope with objective diameter is used to observe a distant star emitting light of wavelength nm, at a resolution of radian. The value 04 Apr, 2026 (M)Diffraction of Light
  9. 9An unpolarized light is incident on the plane interface of air-dielectric medium shown in figure. If the incident angle is equal to Brewster04 Apr, 2026 (M)Polarization of Light
  10. 10An unpolarized light of certain intensity passes through a combination of two polarizers whose transmission axes are at and , respectively, 04 Apr, 2026 (E)Polarization of Light
  11. 11In a double slit experiment, when one of the slits is covered by a transparent mica sheet of refractive index , the central fringe shifts to04 Apr, 2026 (E)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  12. 12In single slit diffraction pattern, the wavelength of light used is nm and slit width is mm, the angular width of central maximum is degrees02 Apr, 2026 (M)Diffraction of Light
  13. 13In a Young's double slit experiment, the intensity at some point on the screen is found to be times of the maximum of the interference patte02 Apr, 2026 (E)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  14. 14Given below are two statements: Statement I : A plane wave after passing through prism remains as plane wave but passing through small pin h28 Jan, 2026 (M)Diffraction of Light
  15. 15A beam of light consisting of wavelengths 650 nm and 550 nm illuminates the Young's double slits with separation of 2 mm such that the inter28 Jan, 2026 (E)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  16. 16An unpolarised light is incident at an interface of two dielectric media having refractive indices of 2 (incident medium) and (medium) respe24 Jan, 2026 (M)Polarization of Light
  17. 17In the Young's double slit experiment the intensity produced by each one of the individual slits is . The distance between two slits is 2 mm24 Jan, 2026 (E)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  18. 18In two separate Young's double-slit experimental set-ups and two monochromatic light sources of different wavelengths are used to get fringe23 Jan, 2026 (M)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  19. 19When an unpolarized light falls at a particular angle on a glass plate (placed in air), it is observed that the reflected beam is linearly p23 Jan, 2026 (E)Polarization of Light
  20. 20Which of the following are true for a single slit diffraction? A. Width of central maxima increases with increase in wavelength keeping slit22 Jan, 2026 (E)Diffraction of Light
  21. 21In a double slit experiment the distance between the slits is 0.1 cm and the screen is placed at 50 cm from the slits plane. When one slit i21 Jan, 2026 (M)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  22. 22Given below are two statements : Statement I : In a Young's double slit experiment, the angular separation of fringes will increase as the s21 Jan, 2026 (E)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  23. 23In a Young's double slit experiment set up, the two slits are kept 0.4 mm apart and screen is placed at 1 m from slits. If a thin transparen21 Jan, 2026 (E)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  24. 24In a Young's double slit experiment, the source is white light. One of the slits is covered by red filter and another by a green filter. In 08 Apr, 2025 (E)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  25. 25In a Young's double slit experiment, the slits are separated by 0.2 mm. If the slits separation is increased to 0.4 mm , the percentage chan04 Apr, 2025 (M)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  26. 26In a Young's double slit experiment, two slits are located 1.5 mm apart. The distance of screen from slits is 2 m and the wavelength of the 04 Apr, 2025 (E)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  27. 27Two polarisers and are placed in such a way that the intensity of the transmitted light will be zero. A third polariser is inserted in betwe04 Apr, 2025 (E)Polarization of Light
  28. 28Two coherent monochromatic light beams of intensities 4I and 9I are superimposed. The difference between the maximum and minimum intensities03 Apr, 2025 (M)Interference of Light
  29. 29A monochromatic light of frequency travelling through air, is incident on a medium of refractive index ' 2 '. Wavelength of the refracted li03 Apr, 2025 (E)Wave Theory and Wavefronts
  30. 30Two monochromatic light beams have intensities in the ratio 1:9. An interference pattern is obtained by these beams. The ratio of the intens03 Apr, 2025 (E)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  31. 31Width of one of the two slits in a Young's double slit interference experiment is half of the other slit. The ratio of the maximum to the mi03 Apr, 2025 (E)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  32. 32A light wave is propagating with plane wave fronts of the type constant. The angle made by the direction of wave propagation with the -axis 02 Apr, 2025 (M)Wave Theory and Wavefronts
  33. 33If the measured angular separation between the second minimum to the left of the central maximum and the third minimum to the right of the c02 Apr, 2025 (M)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  34. 34A double slit interference experiment performed with a light of wavelength 600 nm forms an interference fringe pattern on a screen with 10 t28 Jan, 2025 (M)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  35. 35Which of the following phenomena can not be explained by wave theory of light?28 Jan, 2025 (E)Diffraction of Light
  36. 36The Young's double slit interference experiment is performed using light consisting of 480 nm and 600 nm wavelengths to form interference pa24 Jan, 2025 (M)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  37. 37Young's double slit inteference apparatus is immersed in a liquid of refractive index 1.44. It has slit separation of 1.5 mm . The slits are24 Jan, 2025 (E)Interference of Light
  38. 38In a Young's double slit experiment, three polarizers are kept as shown in the figure. The transmission axes of and are orthogonal to each o24 Jan, 2025 (E)Polarization of Light
  39. 39The ratio of the power of a light source to that the light source is is emitting photons per second at 600 nm . If the wavelength of the sou24 Jan, 2025 (E)Interference of Light
  40. 40The width of one of the two slits in Young's double slit experiment is d while that of the other slit is . If the ratio of the maximum to th23 Jan, 2025 (E)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  41. 41Given below are two statements : one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R). Assertion-(A) : If Young's double22 Jan, 2025 (M)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  42. 42Given below are two statements. One is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R). Assertion (A) : In Young's double 22 Jan, 2025 (E)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  43. 43In a Young's double slit experiment, the intensity at a point is of the maximum intensity, the minimum distance of the point from the centra09 Apr, 2024 (M)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  44. 44Monochromatic light of wavelength is used in Young's double slit experiment. An interference pattern is obtained on a screen. When one of th09 Apr, 2024 (E)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  45. 45A parallel beam of monochromatic light of wavelength passes through single slit of width. Angular divergence corresponding to second order m08 Apr, 2024 (M)Diffraction of Light
  46. 46Two slits are apart and the screen is located away from the slits. A light of wavelength is used. The width of each slit to obtain 10 maxima08 Apr, 2024 (E)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  47. 47Two coherent monochromatic light beams of intensities I and are superimposed. The difference between maximum and minimum possible intensitie06 Apr, 2024 (E)Interference of Light
  48. 48Light emerges out of a convex lens when a source of light kept at its focus. The shape of wavefront of the light is :05 Apr, 2024 (M)Wave Theory and Wavefronts
  49. 49In Young's double slit experiment, carried out with light of wavelength , the distance between the slits is and the screen is at from the sl05 Apr, 2024 (M)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  50. 50In a single slit experiment, a parallel beam of green light of wavelength passes through a slit of width . The transmitted light is collecte05 Apr, 2024 (E)Youngs Double Slit Experiment

Frequently Asked Questions

1.How many questions are available for Wave Optics?

This chapter includes 188 questions compiled from JEE Main papers spanning 2002 to 2026.

2.Are these questions only from JEE Main, or from other exams too?

These are JEE Main questions specifically for the Wave Optics chapter. Questions from other exams like NTA Abhyas (JEE Main) or JEE Advanced are organised separately under their respective exam sections.

3.Is Wave Optics an important chapter for JEE Main Physics?

Wave Optics has appeared in 22 of the 25 years of JEE Main papers covered here, with 188 questions across 153 papers - about one per paper it appears in.

4.What is the difficulty level of Wave Optics questions in JEE Main?

Of the 188 questions analysed for this chapter, 36% are easy, 50% moderate and 14% tough. 2024 had the most, with 22 questions.

5.Which topics in Wave Optics should I focus on?

These topics have carried the most weightage in Wave Optics:

  • Youngs Double Slit Experiment - 90 questions (48%)
  • Diffraction of Light - 36 questions (19%)
  • Polarization of Light - 34 questions (18%)
  • Youngs Double Slit Experiment has produced the most tough questions (13).
6.Is Wave Optics's weightage in JEE Main going up or down?

Across all 153 papers analysed, Wave Optics has averaged about 1.2 questions per paper. In the last three years (2024–2026), that average has fallen, at about 1.0 questions per paper. Use the year-wise numbers on this page for the exact trend before you decide how much time to give it.