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The bending of light around the edges of an obstacle is called?
A. Reflection
B. Refraction
C. Diffraction
D. Dispersion
Correct Answer Is Option = Diffraction
Notes / Explanation
The bending of light around the edges of an obstacle or through a narrow opening is called diffraction, and it is one of the interesting properties of light and of waves in general. Light normally travels in straight lines, and this is why objects cast sharp shadows and why we cannot ordinarily see around corners. However, when light passes very close to the edge of an obstacle or through a very narrow gap, it does not travel in a perfectly straight line but instead bends slightly around the edge or spreads out after passing through the opening, and this bending and spreading is what is known as diffraction. The effect of diffraction is generally very small and is most noticeable when the size of the obstacle or the opening is very small, comparable in some way to the tiny scale on which light waves operate, which is why diffraction is not usually obvious in everyday life but can be observed under the right conditions. Diffraction is a property not only of light but of waves in general, including sound waves and water waves, which also bend and spread when they pass around obstacles or through openings, and the fact that light shows diffraction was important historically because it helped to establish that light behaves as a wave. The effects of diffraction can be seen in various situations, such as the patterns of light and dark that appear when light passes through very fine openings or around very small objects, and the colourful patterns that can sometimes be seen when light is reflected from surfaces that contain very fine, closely spaced lines or structures. Diffraction has practical importance in science and technology, for example in instruments that use the diffraction of light to analyse it and to study the nature of different substances, and in understanding the limits of the fineness of detail that can be seen through instruments such as microscopes and telescopes. Diffraction is one of several important properties of light, alongside the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another and the splitting of white light into colours, and together these properties help to explain the behaviour of light. For PPSC and other competitive examinations, the key points to remember are that the bending of light around the edges of an obstacle or through a narrow opening is called diffraction, that it is most noticeable when the obstacle or opening is very small, that it is a property of waves in general and helped to show that light behaves as a wave, and that it has practical uses in the study and analysis of light.
