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Huygen's principle
– Proposed by Christiaan Huygens in 1678
– In summary it states that every point on a wave is a source of secondary wavelets
expanding from that point. The new wave front , called the envelope of the wavelets,
is tangential to the wave fronts of each of these wavelets
– The envelope of a wave studied in three-dimensions will be a sphere whereas a 2D
view will show it as a circle
Credits: AP Physics B
Pros and cons
Credits: HyperPhysics
– It explains refraction The points on the wavefront which are at the boundary between
the two media will produce new wavelets which travel in a direction different from
that of the incident wave
– It introduces the back propagation issue It has a limitation of not being able to explain
why the light does not propagate backwards – the secondary wavelets each act as a
wave and they are theorized to move out from their origin point in all directions so
why doesn’t light from a flashlight reach the person holding it without reflection
occurring?