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Diffraction with Huygen's Principle definitions Flashcards

Diffraction with Huygen's Principle definitions
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  • Huygens' Principle
    States that every point on a wavefront acts as a source of spherical wavelets, forming a new wavefront as a tangent to these wavelets.
  • Wavefront
    A surface over which an oscillation or vibration has a constant phase, such as the crest of a wave.
  • Spherical Wavelets
    Small, spherical waves that originate from every point on a wavefront, according to Huygens' principle.
  • Diffraction
    The bending and spreading of waves when they encounter an obstacle or pass through a narrow aperture.
  • Slit
    A narrow opening through which light passes, affecting the degree of diffraction based on its size relative to the wavelength.
  • Wavelength
    The distance between successive crests of a wave, determining the degree of diffraction when passing through a slit.
  • Collimated Light
    Light whose rays are parallel, and therefore will spread minimally as it propagates.
  • Isotropic Light
    Light that spreads uniformly in all directions, often resulting from significant diffraction.
  • Interference Pattern
    A pattern of varying intensity resulting from the superposition of waves, such as light passing through slits.
  • Constructive Interference
    Occurs when waves combine to produce a wave of greater amplitude, resulting in increased brightness.
  • Destructive Interference
    Occurs when waves combine to produce a wave of reduced amplitude, resulting in decreased brightness.
  • Double Slit
    An experimental setup where light passes through two slits, creating an interference pattern due to diffraction.
  • Apex
    The highest point of a wavelet, used to determine the new wavefront in Huygens' principle.
  • Tangent Line
    A line that touches a curve at a point without crossing over, used to form the new wavefront in Huygens' principle.
  • Diffraction Pattern
    The pattern of light and dark bands on a screen, resulting from the diffraction and interference of light waves.