Diffraction

Diffraction

1. It is

   • Any bending of the light by means other than reflection or refraction

2. It's not confined to narrow slits or to openings in general but can be seen arround the edges of shadows

3. Smaller openings produce greater diffraction

4. If the size of an object is about the same as the wavelenght of light, diffraction blurs the image

5. If the object is smaller than the wavelenght, no structure will be seen

6. Examples

   • The rainbow pattern on holographic paper
   • The rainbow pattern on CD's
   • The red colour on sunset
     • Because light is diffracted in tiny particles of dust in the atmosphere

7. It's a property of all kinds of waves

Images and files in the map