Скачать или смотреть What is a Wavefront?

A wavefront is a surface that connects all points in a wave that are oscillating in phase, meaning they reach their peaks and troughs at the same time. Imagine ripples spreading out when you drop a stone into a pond; the circular ripples represent wavefronts in two dimensions.

Huygens' Principle states that every point on a wavefront acts as a source of tiny secondary wavelets that spread out in all directions. The new wavefront is formed by drawing a line or surface that is tangent to all of these wavelets. This principle is vital for explaining phenomena like reflection, refraction, and diffraction. For example, it shows how light bends when entering a glass block, spreads out when passing through a narrow slit, or reflects off a mirror. By using Huygens’ principle, we can predict the behavior of waves in various situations.

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