I've been studying waves and diffraction has come up, I'd just like to

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SUMMARY

Diffraction is most significant when the size of a gap is comparable to the wavelength of the wave. When a wave passes through a slit equal to one wavelength, it produces a diffraction pattern with the first minimum occurring at θ=90 degrees, effectively acting as a point source. For a slit width of two wavelengths, the first minimum occurs at 30 degrees, creating distinct maxima and minima. Wider slits, such as those 10 wavelengths wide, result in minimal diffraction, with the first minimum at 5.7 degrees, indicating that waves largely pass through without significant spreading.

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I've been studying waves and diffraction has come up, I'd just like to know, why is it that diffraction is most significant when the size of a gap a wave passes through is similar to the wave length?
 
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As you probably know, when waves pass through a gap they 'spread out' and produce a diffraction pattern consisting of maxima and minima.
If the gap is one wavelength wide (a slit) then it can be shown that the FIRST MINIMUM is when θ= 90. This means that the slit behaves essentially as a 'point source' with waves spreading out in all directions.
If the slit width is 2λ then the first minimum is at 30 and the second minimum is at 90 so a diffraction pattern is produced with max and min.
Anything less than one wavelength wide produces a 'point source' like pattern so a slit of width 1λ is significant in diffraction regarding the details of the pattern produced.
If the slit is 10λ wide then the first min is at 5.7 degrees and you could say that the waves are more or less passing straight through
 

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