In a phenomenon called diffraction , waves are able to bend around obstacles. Fo
ID: 1391039 • Letter: I
Question
In a phenomenon called diffraction, waves are able to bend around obstacles. For example, ocean waves can bend around a piling so that it does not cast a down-wave "shadow" of calm water. The shorter the wavelength of a wave, the less able it is to diffract around obstacles. You have experienced this yourself: You cannot see the people in a room down the hall, but you can hear them talking, corresponding to the fact that a typical wavelength of light is about ten million times shorter than that of a typical sound. If you live near the big city, but behind a rather large mountain, which of the urban radio broadcasts are you likely to receive the best: AM or FM? Explain.
Explanation / Answer
FM waves have less wavelength compared to the AM wave. Thus, the AM wave suffers greater diffraction compared to FM wave since the shorter the wavelength of a wave, the less able it is to diffract around obstacles
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