Huygens' principle
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From Christiaan Huygens, Dutch physicist
[edit] Noun
Huygens' principle
- (physics) the assumption that each point on a wavefront may be regarded as a source of secondary waves and that the position of the wavefront at a later time is determined by the envelope of these secondary waves; proposed in order to explain the fact that light travels in a straight line and casts sharp shadows
