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Definition of "diffraction" [dif•frac•tion]

  • Change in the directions and intensities of a group of waves after passing by an obstacle or through an aperture whose size is approximately the same as the wavelength of the waves. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "diffraction" in a sentence
  • "The one at f22 has a much wider depth of field and the overall loss of resolution due to diffraction is not noticeable at this magnification."
  • "The principle of X-ray diffraction is old and was awarded with the Nobel Prize in physics already in 1915."
  • "Although the experiments in diffraction confirm so beautifully the de Broglie-Schrödinger wave theory, the position is less satisfactory as regards the extended theory due to Dirac."