Sound Bends Around Corners

Steps:

• Sound travels in waves from R but is blocked by the solid building to S.
• Direct line of sight is absent, so straight propagation fails.
• Waves bend at the building's edge to reach S.
• This bending matches diffraction of sound waves.

Why A is correct:

• Diffraction is the spreading and bending of waves around obstacles, as defined by Huygens' principle, enabling sound to curve around the corner.

Why the others are wrong:

• B: Interference involves wave superposition creating patterns, not bending around barriers.
• C: Polarization applies to transverse waves like light, irrelevant to longitudinal sound waves.
• D: Reflection bounces waves off surfaces, but the corner blocks direct echoes to S.

Final answer: A