Interference of Water Waves
A patch of shallow water created this water-wave analogue of single-slit diffraction.
Notes:
Here we see on the left the straight-line red crests of water waves approaching shore, and the blue-line troughs of these waves. Beneath the water is an area where the water becomes suddenly shallower, which causes the speed of the waves to slow significantly. This results in an interference pattern on the right that very much resembles the single-slit diffraction pattern of light. Note that to the right of the barrier there is a direction where the wave has higher crests and deeper troughs than the waves on the left. Next to this “central maximum” direction are directions where the amplitude of the wave oscillation is zero.