Questions and Answers
Which one of the following is true about the direction of propagation of light waves in a homogeneous medium?
The direction of propagation is always perpendicular to the electric and magnetic fields
Which one of the following is the general mathematical form for propagation along the z-direction?
Ex = A * cos(kz - wt)
What does the phase constant ' represent in the general mathematical form for propagation along the z-direction?
Propagation constant
What is the wavelength represented by in the equation λ = c/f?
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In any plane perpendicular to the direction of propagation, what is constant according to Eq. (1.1.1)?
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Study Notes
Light Wave Propagation
- Light waves propagate in a straight line in a homogeneous medium.
Mathematical Form for Propagation
- The general mathematical form for propagation along the z-direction is E(x, y, z, t) = E₀ cos(kz - ωt + φ).
Phase Constant
- The phase constant 'φ' represents the phase angle of the wave function.
Wavelength
- λ (lambda) represents the wavelength, which is the distance between two successive points on a wave that are in phase with each other, and is calculated by λ = c/f, where c is the speed of light and f is the frequency.
Properties of Light Waves
- In any plane perpendicular to the direction of propagation, the amplitude E₀ is constant according to Eq. (1.1.1).
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