Diffraction is a general characteristic exhibited by all types of
waves, be it sound waves, light waves, water waves or matter waves Since
the wavelength of light is much smaller than the dimensions of most
obstacles; we do not encounter diffraction effects of light in everyday
Rationalised 2023-24
267
Wave Optics
observations However, the finite resolution of our eye or of optical
instruments such as telescopes or microscopes is limited due to the
phenomenon of diffraction Indeed the colours that you see when a CD is
viewed is due to diffraction effects