Diffraction of Radio Waves

Overview

During this lesson, students will learn about the wave and particle nature of electromagnetic waves. Students will also learn about the diffraction of light and conduct an experiment to determine the thickness of a piece of hair. Students will also observe the diffraction pattern of burning gas when viewed with a diffraction grating, thus understanding how astrophysicists know the compositions of stars. Students will also learn about how diffraction of electromagnetic waves affects telescope resolution and what can be done to mitigate the effects as well as learn about how radio signals diffract when hitting the edge of an obstacle, dispersing the signal and causing weakened signals.