Wave Diffraction - IB Physics

What is diffraction?

• The bending of waves as they move through a transparent material

• The bending of waves as they move through a different material

• The bending of a wave as it moves around an obstacle or through an opening

What parts of the wave do the blue and white areas represent? 

What does true diffraction look like? 

When will a wave show true diffraction? 

What do you notice about the wavelength of the wave after it goes through the gaps or obstacle? 

With gaps - what causes true diffraction?

• a gap larger that the wavelength

• a gap smaller that the wavelength

• a gap the size of the wavelength 

What size obstacle causes true diffraction? 

• a large obstacle

• an obstacle the size of the wavelength

   

• an obstacle smaller that the wavelength