Abstract
Thin film interference is discussed in most introductory physics courses as an intriguing example of wave interference. Although students may understand the interference mechanism that determines the colors of a film, they are likely to have difficulty understanding why soap bubbles and oil slicks have a distinctive set of colors-colors that are strikingly different from those present in the rainbow. This article describes a way to model these colors and a simple method for investigating them using a digital camera and a computer.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1248-1253 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | American Journal of Physics |
| Volume | 78 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2010 |
