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Diffraction

Diffraction is a property of all waves.Diffraction is the spreading out of waves when they pass through a gap or around an obstacle.There is less diffraction with a wide gap.The waves spread out if the gap is narrower or the wavelength is larger.

Diffraction is important in the design of optical instruments such as telescopes, cameras and microscopes.Telescopes are much wider than the pupil so there is much less diffraction.

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Specification: AQA Physics (7407), AS-level, 3.3.2.2 Diffraction. Topic: Optics.

Key terms in this lesson

Moment: The turning effect of a force about a pivot, equal to the force multiplied by the perpendicular distance from the pivot to the line of action of the force.
Principle of moments: For a body in rotational equilibrium, the sum of the clockwise moments about any point equals the sum of the anticlockwise moments about the same point.

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