![]() The aperture or the diffracting object effectively then becomes the second source of the wave. The wave then bends around the corners of an obstacle, through apertures into the regions of the shadow of the obstacle. ![]() Note: Diffraction refers to the phenomenon of a wave encountering an opening or obstacle. Therefore to encounter diffraction on electromagnetic waves in our normal lives, we would require microwaves and not visible light since microwaves have a much higher wavelength and the longer wavelengths of about $3\ cm$ can be seen in low light conditions. This does not happen in electromagnetic waves.įor observing the phenomenon of diffraction, the order of the magnitude of the wavelength of the waves should be comparable to that of the slit width. The motion of vibration in longitudinal waves is in the same direction as the wave propagation. Sound travels by longitudinal waves which radiate outward in concentric circles. Put up a barrier to explore single-slit diffraction and double-slit interference. The general wavelength of visible light ranges from $7000 \times m$. Make waves with a dripping faucet, audio speaker, or laser Add a second source to create an interference pattern. The wavelength of sound generally ranges from $17\ m$ to $15\ mm$. ![]() Diffraction is a wave characteristic and occurs for all types of waves. The bending of a wave around the edges of an opening or an obstacle is called diffraction. The frequency of human audible sound waves lies from $20\ Hz$ to $20\ kHz$. If we pass light through smaller openings, often called slits, we can use Huygens’s principle to see that light bends as sound does (see Figure 27.9 ). ![]() The wavelength of sound waves is much higher than that of visible light. This condition is satisfied only for sound waves in everyday life. For diffraction to occur, the slit width should be comparable to the wavelength of the light or sound waves. Hint: The reason for the diffraction of sound waves being more evident in daily experience than light waves is that sound waves have much higher wavelength compared to the visible light waves. ![]()
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