Diffraction

• waves can spread out behind the barrier

• this bending of waves around obstacles is called diffraction

• the amount of diffraction depends on the relative sizes of the opening and the wavelength

• if the wavelength is much smaller than the opening, very little diffraction is evident (harder to see it with light)

• as the wavelength gets closer to the size of the opening, the amount of diffraction gets bigger

• diffraction through many obstacles can produce again interference patterns

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