which of the following involves the diffraction of light waves?
A.a glass of water acts like a prism, splitting sunlight from a window into a rainbow on the far wall.
B.a stained glass window only allows some of the light from the sun into a room.
C.light from a hallway spreads out after passing through the keyhole of a closed door.
D.the lens of a magnifying glass makes an image look larger and upside down.
light spreading from the keyhole
The correct answer is option A: a glass of water acts like a prism, splitting sunlight from a window into a rainbow on the far wall.
Explanation: Diffraction refers to the bending or spreading out of waves when they encounter an obstacle or pass through an opening. In this case, the light waves from the sun pass through the glass of water, which acts as a prism. The prism causes the light waves to bend and separate into different colors, creating a rainbow on the far wall. This phenomenon is known as dispersion and is a result of diffraction of light waves.
Option B, a stained glass window, does not involve diffraction. Stained glass windows allow only certain colors or wavelengths of light to pass through, but there is no bending or spreading out of the light waves.
Option C, the spreading out of light from a hallway after passing through a keyhole, does involve diffraction. When light waves pass through a small opening or aperture, such as a keyhole, they diffract or spread out.
Option D, the lens of a magnifying glass making an image look larger and upside down, does not involve diffraction. This phenomenon is due to the refraction (not diffraction) of light waves as they pass through the lens, causing the light rays to converge and form an enlarged and inverted image.