What is the term for the bending of waves as they pass around obstacles or through openings?

The bending of waves as they pass around obstacles or through openings is referred to as diffraction. This phenomenon occurs when a wave encounters an edge or a slit, causing it to spread out rather than travel in a straight line. Diffraction is most noticeable when the size of the obstacle or opening is comparable to the wavelength of the wave.

In everyday examples, you can observe diffraction when sound waves bend around a corner, allowing you to hear someone speaking even if you cannot see them. Similarly, light waves can diffract when passing through narrow slits or around edges, which can lead to interesting patterns and effects in optical experiments.

Diffraction is a fundamental principle in wave behavior, demonstrating how waves can exhibit properties that differ from those of particles. This contrasts with the other terms: reflection involves bouncing off a surface, refraction is the bending of waves due to a change in speed as they pass from one medium to another, and dispersion refers to the separation of waves into their constituent frequencies, often seen with light as it passes through a prism.