Question

Diffraction occurs when light bends around the corners of objects. Which of the following is an example of diffraction?



A. A blurry image seen through a magnifying glass.
B. Light waves that spread out on their own.
C. Light that shines through cracks in the wall.
D. A rainbow of colors seen in the grooves of a compact disc (CD).

Answer 1

Diffraction occurs with all waves, including sound waves, water waves, and electromagnetic waves such as visible light, X-rays and radio waves.

Answer 2

The grooves of a compact disc act as a diffraction grating. So i think it's D

Answer 3

I would also say the answer is D.

Answer 4

apparent bending of waves around small obstacles and the spreading out of waves past small openings.
The effects of diffraction are often seen in everyday life. The most striking examples of diffraction are those involving light; for example, the closely spaced tracks on a CD or DVD act as a diffraction grating to form the familiar rainbow pattern seen when looking at a disk. This principle can be extended to engineer a grating with a structure such that it will produce any diffraction pattern desired; the hologram on a credit card is an example. Diffraction in the atmosphere by small particles can cause a bright ring to be visible around a bright light source like the sun or the moon. A shadow of a solid object, using light from a compact source, shows small fringes near its edges. The speckle pattern which is observed when laser light falls on an optically rough surface is also a diffraction phenomenon. All these effects are a consequence of the fact that light propagates as a wave.

Diffraction can occur with any kind of wave. Ocean waves diffract around jetties and other obstacles. Sound waves can diffract around objects, which is why one can still hear someone calling even when hiding behind a tree.[5] Diffraction can also be a concern in some technical applications; it sets a fundamental limit to the resolution of a camera, telescope, or microscope.