Reflection involves a change in direction of waves when they bounce off a barrier; refraction of waves involves a change in the direction of waves as they pass from one medium to another; and diffraction involves a change in direction of waves as they pass through an opening or around a barrier in their path.
Q. Why can you hear around corners but not see around them?
Sound waves that we can hear have much longer wavelengths than do light waves. As a result, the diffraction of sound waves around a corner is noticeable and we can hear the sound in the “shadow region,” but the diffraction of light waves around a corner is not noticeable.
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Q. Why do higher frequencies diffract less?
Why Do Low Frequency Sound Waves Diffract More than High Frequency Ones? “The amount of diffraction that occurs in any wave is dependent upon the wavelength of that wave.” “Lower frequencies can bend around an object easier than high frequencies.”
Q. What happens to the wavelength after diffraction?
The wavelength is unchanged after diffraction. A gap width similar to the wavelength of the waves passing through causes a lot of spreading, eg sound waves passing through a doorway. A gap width much larger than the wavelength causes little spreading eg light waves passing through a doorway.
Q. What causes more diffraction?
When the gap width is larger than the wavelength (bottom movie), the wave passes through the gap and does not spread out much on the other side. When the gap size is smaller than the wavelength (top movie), more diffraction occurs and the waves spread out greatly – the wavefronts are almost semicircular.
Q. What is it called when a wave bends and changes speed when it enters a different medium?
Refraction is an effect that occurs when a light wave, incident at an angle away from the normal, passes a boundary from one medium into another in which there is a change in velocity of the light. The wavelength decreases as the light enters the medium and the light wave changes direction.
