Question 191 of 199
Q.What are the shapes of wavefront for a :
(a) Source at infinite
(b) Point source
(c) Line source
Puducherry TnboardTamil Nadu HSC (DGE) Board 2025Subjective· 2mImportance★★★★★
96% · 191/199 Questions
You're viewing a preview — the full solution, concept, methods & PYQ mapping are locked.
Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →A wavefront's shape follows from the source's geometry: a source at infinity gives plane wavefronts, a point source gives spherical wavefronts, and a line source gives cylindrical wavefronts.
- Source at infinity. Light rays from a source infinitely far away are effectively parallel to each other by the time they reach any observation region; the corresponding wavefronts (surfaces of constant phase, always perpendicular to the rays) are therefore flat -- a plane wavefront.
- Point source. Light spreads out radially and uniformly in all directions from a point source. The locus of points at the same distance from the source (equal phase, having travelled equal path in equal time) is a sphere centred on the source -- a spherical wavefront. …
Unlock everything free for 14 days
- Full step-by-step solutions
- Concept-first explanations
- Methods, shortcuts & mistakes
- PYQ mapping + timed mock tests
Full access for 14 days. No credit card required.