Why Do Refraction and Diffraction Both Involve Bending of Light?

[T@P]

i know that refraction is the 'bending' of light as it enters a different medium. what's diffraction? is that when light somehow disperses when it goes really far...?

can someone explain them? and why the names are so similar?

 

[rayjohn01]

The difference

You are correct on refraction ( differing media ) but diffraction is about a single media . Light rather like a water wave can go round corners i.e. it can illuminate an area which by straight line geometry should be in shadow .
When this occurs the image is not a simple clean image but a set of bands of light from light to dark as would be caused by interfering waves .
The single slit experiment (or double slit by Young ) illustrates
search Young double slit on Yahoo or Wikipedia there is tons of info
Yours Ray.

 

[Graeme Robinson]

Refraction and diffraction are both phenomena that occur when light interacts with different materials or objects. While they may sound similar, they are actually two distinct processes with different causes and effects.

Refraction is the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another, such as from air to water or from air to glass. This bending is caused by the change in speed of light as it travels through different materials. The change in speed also causes a change in direction, resulting in the familiar image distortion that we see when looking into a glass of water or through a lens.

On the other hand, diffraction is the bending and spreading out of light as it encounters an obstacle or passes through a narrow opening. This can create patterns of light and dark, known as interference patterns, as the light waves interact with each other. Diffraction is most noticeable when the wavelength of light is comparable to the size of the obstacle or opening it encounters.

The names for these two processes are similar because they both involve the bending of light. However, the cause and result of the bending are different. Refraction is caused by a change in the speed of light, while diffraction is caused by the interference of light waves. Additionally, refraction results in a change in direction of light, while diffraction results in a spreading out of light.

In summary, refraction and diffraction are two distinct processes that involve the bending of light. Refraction occurs when light passes through different materials, while diffraction occurs when light encounters an obstacle or narrow opening. Understanding the differences between these two phenomena can help us better understand the behavior of light in various situations.