You have learnt in the text how Huygens' principle leads to the laws of reflection and refraction. Use the same principle to deduce directly that a point object placed in front of a plane mirror produces a virtual image whose distance from the mirror is equal to the object distance from the mirror.

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(N/A) Let an object at $O$ be placed in front of a plane mirror at a distance $r$ (as shown in the figure).
$A$ spherical wavefront is emitted from the point object $O$. The part of the wavefront $XY$ reaches the plane mirror at point $O'$.
According to Huygens' Principle,each point on the wavefront acts as a source of secondary wavelets. When the wavefront $XY$ strikes the mirror,the mirror reflects these wavelets.
If the mirror were absent,the wavefront would continue to propagate and form a similar wavefront $X'Y'$ at a distance $r$ behind the mirror.
Since the mirror reflects the light,the secondary wavelets appear to originate from a point $I$ behind the mirror,which is the virtual image of $O$. By symmetry,the distance of this virtual image $I$ from the mirror is equal to the distance $r$ of the object $O$ from the mirror.

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Which of the following is correct for light diverging from a point source?

The figure shows a surface $XY$ separating two transparent media,medium-$1$ and medium-$2$. The lines $ab$ and $cd$ represent wavefronts of a light wave travelling in medium-$1$ and incident on $XY$. The lines $ef$ and $gh$ represent wavefronts of the light wave in medium-$2$ after refraction.
$1.$ Light travels as a
$(A)$ parallel beam in each medium
$(B)$ convergent beam in each medium
$(C)$ divergent beam in each medium
$(D)$ divergent beam in one medium and convergent beam in the other medium.
$2.$ The phases of the light wave at $c, d, e$ and $f$ are $\phi_{c}, \phi_{d}, \phi_{e}$ and $\phi_{f}$ respectively. It is given that $\phi_{c} \neq \phi_{f}$.
$(A)$ $\phi_{c}$ cannot be equal to $\phi_{d}$
$(B)$ $\phi_{a}$ can be equal to $\phi_{e}$
$(C)$ $(\phi_{d}-\phi_{c})$ is equal to $(\phi_{f}-\phi_{e})$
$(D)$ $(\phi_{d}-\phi_{c})$ is not equal to $(\phi_{f}-\phi_{e})$
$3.$ Speed of the light is
$(A)$ the same in medium-$1$ and medium-$2$
$(B)$ larger in medium-$1$ than in medium-$2$
$(C)$ larger in medium-$2$ than in medium-$1$
$(D)$ different at $b$ and $d$
Give the answer for questions $1, 2$ and $3$.

In the adjoining diagram, a wavefront $AB$ moving in air is incident on a plane glass surface $XY$. Its position $CD$ after refraction through a glass slab is shown along with the normals drawn at $A$ and $D$. The refractive index of glass with respect to air $(\mu = 1)$ will be equal to

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The figure shows a surface $XY$ separating two transparent media,medium-$1$ and medium-$2$. The lines $ab$ and $cd$ represent wavefronts of a light wave traveling in medium-$1$ and incident on $XY$. The lines $ef$ and $gh$ represent wavefronts of the light wave in medium-$2$ after refraction. The phases of the light wave at $c, d, e$ and $f$ are $\phi_c, \phi_d, \phi_e$ and $\phi_f$ respectively. It is given that $\phi_c \neq \phi_f$.

Explain the use of wavefront to understand wave propagation.

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