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Huygens Principle

Every point on a wavefront is a new source of circular waves.The new wavefront is the resultant of the superposition of the circular wavelets.Huygens principle explains reflection, refraction, diffraction, interference and rectilinear propagation (light travelling in a straight line).

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Specification: Edexcel Physics (8PH0), AS-level, Topic 5: Waves and Particle Nature of Light. Topic: Quantum Physics.

Key terms in this lesson

wavefront
A line or surface joining points on a wave that are in phase, often used to show the wave's direction of travel.

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