Simple Description

When a wave spreads out around a corner or obstacle.

Further Detail

When a wave is diffracted it spreads out around the object it hit. For example, in the picture below, the sound waves from the explosion are being diffracted over the hill. Diffraction is best seen when the wavelength of the wave is similar to the size of the gap it is hitting (see the second image below).

Related Words:

• Refraction
• Reflection

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