Mention the main difficulty in establishing the wave theory of light.

Vedclass pdf generator app on play store
Vedclass iOS app on app store
(N/A) The main difficulty in establishing the wave theory of light was the assumption that light waves are mechanical in nature.
According to the classical physics of that time,mechanical waves require a material medium for propagation.
Since light travels through the vacuum of space (e.g.,from the Sun to the Earth),it was difficult to explain how light could propagate without a medium.
This led to the hypothetical concept of the 'luminiferous ether',a pervasive,massless,and transparent medium,which was later disproven by the Michelson-Morley experiment.

Explore More

Similar Questions

Huygens' principle is applicable to

How can it be said that light possesses wave nature?

The following figure represents a wave front $AB$ which passes from air to another transparent medium and produces a new wave front $CD$ after refraction. The refractive index of the medium is $:$ ($PQ$ is the boundary between air and the medium)

The wavefront of a wave has what direction with respect to the wave motion?

$A$ light wave travels in a vacuum along the $x$-axis. Which of the following may represent the wave front?

Vedclass Products

For Students

Vedclass Test Series

Mock tests in real JEE/NEET style with performance analysis. 5-day free trial.

Start Free Trial
For Teachers

Exam Paper Generator

Generate Set A/B/C/D exam papers from 7.5L+ questions in 2 minutes. 3 chapters free.

Try Free
For Institutes

Online Exam Module

Live online exams with unlimited students, 360° analytics & white-label branding.

See Demo