Sound diffraction involves which phenomenon?

• A. Emitting photons
• B. Scattering of sound energy
• C. Focusing sound waves
• D. Absorbing sound energy

Answer: (B)

Sound diffraction is the bending and spreading of waves as they encounter an obstacle or pass through a small opening, causing the wave energy to deviate from a straight-line path and fill into regions that would be in shadow. This redistribution of energy is a form of scattering of sound energy off the obstacle or edges. The other ideas don’t capture this spreading and redirection: emitting photons is about creating light particles, not about how sound waves move; focusing sound waves relates to concentrating energy with lenses or reflectors, not the way waves bend around barriers; absorbing sound energy describes loss of energy by the material, not its redistribution through diffraction.