Diffraction

Have you ever noticed when walking down a street that you can hear sounds around the corners of buildings? Look at the image below. As you can see from the picture, sound waves spread out and travel around obstacles. This is called diffraction. Diffraction is the bending and spreading of waves around obstacles. All waves may be diffracted, but it is more pronounced in some types of waves than others. For example, sound waves bend around corners much more than light does. That's why you can hear, but not see around corners.

$image of diffraction from around the corner depicted by a radio and a boy$

The amount of diffraction ('spreading' or 'bending' of the wave) depends on the wavelength and the size of the object.

$Diffraction Comparison: See description$

How Diffraction Occurs description

Please watch the short video below for a summary explanation of reflection, refraction, and diffraction.

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