What is Wave Theory of Light?
Wave theory of light proposes that light travels in waves. This concept is different from particle theory, which suggests light moves as particles.
According to the wave theory, light propagates through space as a wave, exhibiting properties such as interference, diffraction, and polarization.
- The wave theory of light contrasts with the earlier corpuscular theory, which proposed that light consists of particles called “corpuscles” or “photons.”
- This theory explains phenomena like interference and diffraction. They are difficult to understand through the particle perspective alone.
- Wave theory became widely accepted because it could explain the behavior of light in various situations.
- For example, when light waves overlap, they can interfere with each other, creating patterns of light and dark bands. Also, when light waves pass through small openings or around obstacles, they spread out. This is known as diffraction. Both interference and diffraction are proof of wave-like behavior of light.
Wave Theory of Light
Wave theory of light postulates that a light source emits light waves that spread in all directions. A light wave on striking a mirror gets reflected according to the angles but with each wave turned back to front, it produces a reversed image. In this article, we will explore wave theory of light along with the history of wave theory of light. Also, we will discuss Huygen’s wave theory of light and its construction. Let’s start our learning on the topic “Wave Theory of Light.”
Table of Content
- Wave Theory of Light
- History of Light Wave Theory
- Huygens’ Construction
- Huygens’ Theory of Double Refraction
- Wave Particle Duality of Light
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