BRAINCAKEFactors Affecting Diffraction
The amount of diffraction depends on how the size of the gap (or obstacle) compares with the wavelength of the waves.
Gap about the same size as the wavelength: diffraction is greatest. The waves spread out through large angles, almost into semicircles.
Gap much wider than the wavelength: there is very little diffraction. Most of the wave passes straight through, with only slight spreading at the edges.
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Key terms in this lesson
- wavelength
- The distance between two adjacent points on a wave that are in phase, such as one crest to the next.
More in Waves
- Speed and Frequency of Waves on a Stretched String
- Investigating the Factors Affecting Fundamental Frequency
- Fundamental Frequency
- Diffraction
- Single Slit Diffraction
- The Diffraction Grating
- Investigating Diffraction with a Laser
- Two Slit Interference
All 22 lessons in Waves · All Edexcel AS-level Physics topics