Diffraction

noun

/dɪˈfrækʃən/

The spreading and bending of waves as they pass through an aperture or around the edge of an obstacle, without any change in their energy.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

Just as light undergoes diffraction when it strikes the edge of an obstacle and bends into the shadow, a well-designed welfare scheme can diffract benefits around bureaucratic obstructions to reach citizens in the remotest periphery, ensuring that no eligible household is left in administrative darkness.

Synonyms

bendingdeflectiondispersionscatteringspreadingdeviation

Antonyms

convergenceconcentrationfocusingrectilinear propagation

🌱 Word Family

diffract (v), diffractive (adj), diffractively (adv), diffractometer (n)

🔡 Root

Latin diffringere = to break into pieces; dis- = apart + frangere = to break; noun diffractiō

📜 Etymology

From Latin diffringere ("to break into pieces"), from dis- ("apart") + frangere ("to break"); coined by Francesco Maria Grimaldi in the 17th century.

🧠 Memory Hook

DIFFRACTION = "di-FRACT-ion" — think of a FRACTURE (Latin frangere, "to break"): a wave is broken apart and bent as it squeezes past an edge, so its path FRACTURES and spreads.

⚗️ General Science 📖 Seen in: Light, Optics & Electromagnetic Waves

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