What is Diffraction? - ACOUSTICS?

Diffraction is when sound waves bend around corners or through openings, like how light bends around a curtain.

Imagine you're in a room, and your friend is talking to you from the other side of a door that's slightly open. Even though only part of the door is open, you can still hear them clearly, their voice seems to spread out into the whole room. That’s diffraction in action! It happens because sound waves are like ripples in water, when they hit an edge or go through a gap, they curve and spread out instead of just going straight.

Think of sound waves as people walking in a line. If there's a wall with a small opening, only some of them can go through at first. But once they’re on the other side, they start to turn and walk around, like kids spreading out after getting through a door. This makes the sound feel softer or more spread out in places you wouldn’t expect.

So next time you hear someone talking from behind a wall or a curtain, remember: it's not just their voice being loud, it’s diffraction helping it travel around!