The greater wavelength sound wave diffracts more than, the shorter wavelength wave. The wavelength of the sound wave plays a vital role in the diffraction of sound. The refraction of sound waves generates a natural temperature gradient for the atmosphere. TemperatureThe diffraction of sound waves is generally a temperature-independent phenomenon. The speed may increase or decrease depending on the nature of the medium. The refraction of the sound waves involves the bending and spreading of the wave, and hence the speed of the sound wave changes. The diffraction of sound waves involves a single medium where the bending of the sound wave takes place, and then the sound wave spreads out. The differences between acoustic diffraction vs refraction is listed as follows: The change in the direction of the sound wave can produce diffraction as well as refraction depending on the nature of the medium and material. Image demonstrating the comparison of diffraction vs refraction of light wave Diffraction vs refraction sound Water in a swimming pool looks less deep is due to the refraction of light.Ĭomparison of diffraction vs refraction of light
The refracted light’s intensity depends on the light’s velocity and the refractive indices of the medium.Īt the edge of the door or window, the bending of the light ray produces the shadow of the window or door. The intensity of the diffraction fringes depends on the nature of incident light and the width of the slit. The refraction also has the ability to splitting up white light into its prominent colors. When white light is diffracted by passing through an obstacle, it splits the light into its prominent colors giving the diffraction pattern. The refracted image of the object appears to be closer than its original position. The diffracted pattern appears where they are, and they do not look closer than their original position. Refraction of light produces realistic visual illusions or images, not the fringes or shadows. The pattern is nothing but the shadow of the obstacle. Refraction is also wavelength-dependent the amount of refraction increases if the wave with a shorter wavelength is incident on the medium.ĭiffraction of light produces spots or fringes as the diffraction pattern. The diffraction corresponds to the wavelength as the wavelength is more, the amount of diffraction will be more.
Refraction is the bending of light when it travels from one medium to another of different refractive indices. In this section, let us discuss the comparison of diffraction vs refraction of light.ĭiffraction is the bending of light at the corner of the hurdle when the light ray passes through the slit giving geometrical shadow. The comparative analysis of diffraction vs refraction briefly summarizes the nature of propagation light waves in the various mediums. In this post, we will learn the differences between diffraction vs refraction in both light and sound and learn various facts involved in diffraction vs refraction. Both the light and sound waves can undergo diffraction and refraction. The difference in the behavior of waves gives the phenomena of diffraction and refraction.ĭiffraction and refraction are the processes of change in the direction of the wave. The behavior of waves traveling from one medium to another medium is different.