When light encounters an obstacle or passes through an aperture, it exhibits a phenomenon called diffraction, which causes it to bend or spread out. This bending of light around corners is a result of the wave nature of light.
To understand this, let's consider a simple experiment called the single-slit diffraction. Imagine a beam of light passing through a narrow slit and then hitting a screen behind it. As the light passes through the slit, it diffracts or spreads out, creating a pattern of alternating dark and bright regions on the screen. This pattern is known as the diffraction pattern.
When light encounters a corner or an obstacle, it behaves in a similar manner. The light waves are diffracted as they pass the edge of the corner or the obstacle. The amount of bending or spreading depends on the wavelength of light and the size of the obstacle or corner.
If the obstacle or corner is significantly larger than the wavelength of light, the bending will be more pronounced. In this case, the diffraction pattern will be more noticeable, and the light will spread out more.
However, if the obstacle or corner is comparable in size to the wavelength of light, the bending will be less pronounced. The diffraction effects will still occur, but they may not be as easily observed.
It's important to note that the bending of light around corners is different from the phenomenon of reflection or refraction. Diffraction occurs when light encounters an obstacle or passes through an aperture, whereas reflection involves the bouncing back of light from a surface, and refraction involves the bending of light as it passes through different mediums.
Overall, the bending of light around corners is a result of diffraction, which is a characteristic behavior of waves, including light waves.