Wavefront of a Wave Propagating Along Y-axis – Rankers Physics
Topic: Wave Optics
Subtopic: Huygen's Principal

Wavefront of a Wave Propagating Along Y-axis

Light waves travel in vaccum along the y-axis. Which of the following may represent the wavefront?
\(x =\text{ constant}\)
\(y =\text{ constant}\)
\(z =\text{ constant}\)
\(x + y + z =\text{ constant}\)

Solution:

Wavefronts are surfaces of constant phase which are perpendicular to the direction of propagation. Since propagation is along the y-axis, the wavefront must be parallel to the x-z plane, represented by \(y =\text{ constant}\).

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