Fermat’s principle of extremum path
- According to Fermat’s principle of least time, a ray of light in passing from one point to another through a set of media by any number of reflections and refractions selects a path along which the time taken is minimum or least
- In some cases it was found that the time taken was maximum in placed of minimum.
- So the principle of least time is modified as Fermat’s principle of stationary time or Fermat’s principle of extremum path.
- According to Fermat’s principle of extremum path, a ray of light in passing from one point to another through a set of media by any number of reflections or refractions selects a path for which the time taken is either minimum or maximum.
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