UNIT OVERVIEW

Have you ever wondered why you can hear someone calling you from around a corner, even though you cannot see them? Or why a CD creates rainbow patterns when light hits it? The answer lies in diffraction — the bending and spreading of waves.

In this unit, you will learn how waves do not just travel in straight lines. They can bend around obstacles and spread out through openings. This behaviour helps us understand everything from how sound travels through your home to how scientists study atoms.

By the end of this unit, you will be able to:

• Represent waves as wavefronts in 2D and 3D space
• Explain and illustrate how waves diffract around obstacles and through openings
• Predict how slit width affects the degree of diffraction
• Apply Huygens' principle to explain wave behaviour
• Draw accurate wavefront diagrams showing diffraction patterns
• Connect diffraction to real-world applications

Real-Life Applications of Diffraction:

1. Sound around corners: When someone plays music in another room, you can hear it through doorways — sound waves diffract around openings.