Question 2: What is the shape of the wavefront in each of the following cases:
(a) Light diverging from a point source.
(b) Light emerging out of a convex lens when a point source is placed at its focus.
(c) The portion of the wavefront of light from a distant star intercepted by the Earth.
Answer:
(a) Light diverging from a point source.
The geometrical shape of the wavefront in case of light diverging from a point source will be diverging spherical wavefront . It can be shown as,

(b) Light emerging out of a convex lens when a point source is placed at its focus.
When a point source is placed at the focus of a convex lens, the rays emerging from the lens are parallel. Therefore, the wavefront must be plane, as shown in figure,

(c) The portion of the wavefront of light from a distant star intercepted by the Earth.
The source of light (i.e. star) is very far off (i.e. at infinity), the wavefront intercepted by the earth will be a plane wavefront, as shown above.
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