$diffraction sound physics$

$diffraction sound physics$ $diffraction sound physics$

Diffraction sound physics series#

So far we’ve only considered the case of a single slit or gap for the wave to pass through. The video below shows how you can use this method to work out how wavefronts are altered by a slit.ĭiffraction Through Two Slits Young’s Experiment For example – if you dropped a number of pebbles in a straight line, all in one go at exactly the same time, a straight (in science-speak plane) wavefront would be created. These wavelets superimpose and interfere to form more complicated wavefronts. A wavelet can be described as a circular wave much like the ripple you would get from dropping a small pebble into a pond.

Diffraction sound physics series#

Huygens argued that a wavefront could be modelled as a series of wavelets. One way to explain diffraction is to use a mathematical method invented by 17th century physicist Christiaan Huygens. When the gap size is smaller than the wavelength (top movie), more diffraction occurs and the waves spread out greatly – the wavefronts are almost semicircular. When the gap width is larger than the wavelength (bottom movie), the wave passes through the gap and does not spread out much on the other side. slit is narrower than the wavelength Gap width = two wavelengths i.e. When the size of the gap changes, how does this change the diffraction of the wave? When does maximum diffraction occur? (Think about your previous findings on the diffraction of sound around an obstacle). The difference between the movies is the size of the gap. This is shown in the two animations below. Diffraction also occurs when a wave passes through a gap (or slit) in a barrier.

$diffraction sound physics$