Diffraction is the bending and spreading of waves around obstacles or through openings. It occurs for all types of waves including light, water, and sound waves. The amount of diffraction increases with wavelength and decreases with aperture size. Huygens' principle and the Huygens-Fresnel principle describe how each point on a wavefront can be seen as a secondary source of waves, helping to explain diffraction. Practical examples of diffraction include interference patterns from double slits and its role in technologies like communication systems and medical imaging.

1. Understanding Diffraction of Waves

2. Is a fundamental phenomenon that
occurs when waves encounter an
obstacle or pass through an
aperture, causing them to bend or
spread around the edges of the
obstruction.
Diffraction

3. It is a wave property observed in various types of
waves, including sound waves, light waves, and water
waves.

4. Diffraction Diagram

5. As the wavelength increases, the amount of
diffraction also increases. Conversely, shorter
wavelengths diffract less.
Relationship of Aperture size and Wavelength
to Diffraction
As the size of the gap or aperture through which
waves pass decreases, the diffraction effect
becomes more pronounced, resulting in wider
diffraction patterns and sharper interference
fringes.

6. Huygens’ principle, a statement that
all points of a wave front of sound in a
transmitting medium or of light in a
vacuum or transparent medium may
be regarded as new sources of
wavelets that expand in every
direction at a rate depending on their
velocities.
Huygen’s Principle
Christiaan Huygens

7. Fresnel hypothesized that every point
of a primary wave could be thought of
as producing secondary wavelet. But
rather than their envelop, it was their
overlap and interference that formed
the primary wavefront later. The
modified version is called the
Huygens-Fresnel principle.
Huygens-Fresnel Principle
Augustin Jean Fresnel

8. In single slit diffraction, light outstretches in a line perpendicular to the slit.
In double-slit diffraction, light diffracts when passing through the slits, but
the light from those then interferes and produces an interference pattern on
the screen

9. Practical Illustrations of Diffraction

10. In essence, diffraction is not
merely a theoretical concept but
a phenomenon with tangible
consequences in diverse
applications. Its study enriches
our understanding of wave
interactions and aids in the
development of technologies
that impact our daily lives, from
communication systems to
medical imaging and beyond.
Conclusion