Which phenomenon is associated with a pattern produced by a sound beam after passing through a small aperture?

Which phenomenon is associated with a pattern produced by a sound beam after passing through a small aperture?

• A. Scattering
• B. Absorption
• C. Diffraction
• D. Interference

Answer: (C)

Diffraction is the spreading of a wave as it passes through an opening, causing the beam to fan out and form a characteristic pattern. When a sound beam goes through a small aperture, the edges act as sources of secondary wavelets that interfere with each other, shaping a pattern with a central bright area and surrounding features. This self-interference from the aperture is what creates the diffraction pattern and sets the beam’s angular spread. Absorption would reduce energy, scattering would redirect energy by particles, and interference patterns from multiple sources aren’t the typical result of a single small aperture; the single-aperture geometry primarily produces diffraction.

Diffraction is the spreading of a wave as it passes through an opening, causing the beam to fan out and form a characteristic pattern. When a sound beam goes through a small aperture, the edges act as sources of secondary wavelets that interfere with each other, shaping a pattern with a central bright area and surrounding features. This self-interference from the aperture is what creates the diffraction pattern and sets the beam’s angular spread. Absorption would reduce energy, scattering would redirect energy by particles, and interference patterns from multiple sources aren’t the typical result of a single small aperture; the single-aperture geometry primarily produces diffraction.