Rectilinear_propagation
Rectilinear propagation describes the tendency of electromagnetic waves (light) to travel in a straight line. Light does not deviate when travelling through a homogeneous medium, which has the same refractive index throughout; otherwise, light experiences refraction.[1] Even though a wave front may be bent, (e.g. the waves created by a rock hitting a pond) the individual rays are moving in straight lines. Rectilinear propagation was discovered by Pierre de Fermat.[2]
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