Evidence for light waves

What is the effect called when waves bend round obstacles or spread through gaps?

Diffraction.

What is evidence that light travels in the form of waves?

The diffraction of light.

What do you need to observe light diffraction through a net curtain?

A fine mesh net curtain and ideally binoculars.

What happens to light waves as they pass through tiny holes in a net curtain?

They diffract and can form multiple images instead of a single blob of light.

What determines the noticeability of the diffraction effect in waves?

The size of the gap compared to the wavelength of the waves.

What indicates that light waves have very short wavelengths?

Very small holes are needed to diffract light.

What can scientists calculate from the size of the gap and the amount of diffraction?

The wavelength of the light waves.

What are typical wavelengths for red and violet light?

Red light has a wavelength of 0.0007 mm and violet light has a wavelength of 0.0004 mm.