Huygens principle


nounOptics, Physics.
  1. the principle that all points on a wave front of light are sources of secondary waves and that surfaces tangential to these waves define the position of the wave front at any point in time.

Origin of Huygens principle

1
First recorded in 1830–40; named after C. Huygens

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

Scientific definitions for Huygens' principle

Huygens' principle

  1. The principle that any point on a wave front may be regarded as a source of spherical or circular wavelets. The sum of all such wavelets emanating from the front is same as the wavefront itself. This principle can be used to derive the laws of reflection and refraction. See also superposition.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.