WAVE FRONT

AND
HUYGEN’S PRINCIPLE

Ajay Sagar
K. V. No.-2,
MRN, Mathura
What to discuss in todays Class
 Method of Energy propagation.
 Wave method of Energy Propagation.
 Wave front and their types.
 Huygen’s Principle
 Wave front propagation by Huygen’s Principle.
Method of Energy Propagation
As we know that Light is a form of Energy and can
propagate from one place to another.

 Newton's Concept
Explains that light goes in a straight line and
explained with the help of boards with hole.

 Huygens's Concept
Explains the motion of waves with the help of water
waves.
Propagation of Wave :
We see the water wave as
Z-Axis

Y-Axis

The direction of Propagation

(perpendicular to wave motion & also define the direction of a Ray)
Observation of wave :
 By keeping x – constant
Energy change with time.
 By keeping t – constant

Energy change with distance.

 If we combine both change in x & t

we get
y = a sin (kx – ωt)
Controversy between the Newton’s
and Huygen’s explanation of
Wave motion…
Explained on the basis of sending a Ray in
a room with one window it goes straight.
&
Sending a wave in another room with a
window it spread like we throw water on
floor.
Wave -
Wave is a form is a form of disturbance which
causes transfer of energy from one point to another
without actual movement of medium particles.
e.g.- Waves generated in a pond after throwing a stone
into it.
Wave front-
Wave front is the continuous locus of all the particles of
a medium that are vibrating in the same phase. A light
source sends out disturbance (waves) in all the
directions.
 A wave front is the locus of all points vibrating in
same phase.
 The direction of wave propagation will be
perpendicular to the wave front.
 At a wave front the intensity of light will be same.

(Explanation of formation of wave front with the help of

Water waves)
There are three types of Wave fronts
 Spherical Wave front

 Cylindrical Wave front

 Plane Wave front
Huygen's Wave Theory
Huygens proposed a hypothesis for the geometrical
construction of the position of a common wave front at
any instant during the propagations of waves in a
medium.
(i) At any given instant all the points of a wave
front acts as a fresh source of new disturbance,
called secondary source of light.
(ii) The waves generated by these secondary
sources have same light of same wavelength,
frequency and velocity. They make their own
wavelets called secondary wavelets.
(iii) A common tangent envelope over all
wavelets gives the secondary wave front…
Thank You