Page "Wave–particle duality" Paragraph 18

In the early 19th century, the double-slit experiments by Young and Fresnel provided evidence for Huygens ' wave theories.

The double-slit experiments showed that when light is sent through a grid, a characteristic interference pattern is observed, very similar to the pattern resulting from the interference of water waves ; the wavelength of light can be computed from such patterns.

The wave view did not immediately displace the ray and particle view, but began to dominate scientific thinking about light in the mid 19th century, since it could explain polarization phenomena that the alternatives could not.