what is meant by diffraction?

Answer 1

Whenever a localized irregularity occurs in the medium in which a wave propagates, it radiates a disturbance out in all directions. That's refered to as the diffracted wave.

Answer 2

Diffraction is a phenomenon done by visible light when it passes through a prism it is seen that it spreads into seven different colored lights. When it rains a rainbow is visible because a drop of rain acts as the prism and 7 different bright lights are seen as per the difference in their wavelengths. More examples can be light falling on CD or a DVD which enables us to see different colors. When we blow soap bubbles against the light, it is not seen as white but as blue, pink, red, etc.

Answer 3

Is the splitting of a single beam of light, into two or more, by the passage of the light through a geometrical piece of crystal ........It also applies to X rays when they bounce special surfaces...