A wave bending around obstacles or through openings is described by which term?

A wave bending around obstacles or through openings is described by which term?

• A. Diffraction
• B. Refraction
• C. Reflection
• D. Dispersion

Answer: (A)

Diffraction is the bending of waves around edges and through openings. When a wavefront meets an obstacle or passes through a gap comparable in size to its wavelength, parts of the wave spread out and interfere with each other, causing the wave to bend and produce spreading patterns. This is why sound can be heard around a corner and why light can spread through a small slit. Refraction involves a change in direction because the wave changes speed as it moves between different media, not because it passes around an obstacle. Reflection is the bouncing of a wave off a surface. Dispersion is the separation of a wave into its component wavelengths, typically seen when different colors bend by different amounts, such as through a prism.

Diffraction is the bending of waves around edges and through openings. When a wavefront meets an obstacle or passes through a gap comparable in size to its wavelength, parts of the wave spread out and interfere with each other, causing the wave to bend and produce spreading patterns. This is why sound can be heard around a corner and why light can spread through a small slit.

Refraction involves a change in direction because the wave changes speed as it moves between different media, not because it passes around an obstacle. Reflection is the bouncing of a wave off a surface. Dispersion is the separation of a wave into its component wavelengths, typically seen when different colors bend by different amounts, such as through a prism.