What is the term for the bending of waves around obstacles?

The correct term for the bending of waves around obstacles is wave diffraction. This phenomenon occurs when waves encounter an obstacle or an opening, causing them to spread out and change direction. Diffraction is particularly noticeable when the size of the obstacle is comparable to the wavelength of the wave. It helps explain various behaviors in both ocean and sound waves as they interact with barriers or pass through openings, allowing waves to weave around these features.

Wave reflection refers to the bouncing back of waves when they hit a barrier, while wave refraction involves the change in direction of waves as they enter a different medium at an angle due to a change in speed. Wave breaking, on the other hand, describes the process when a wave becomes too steep and collapses, often seen as the formation of surf or whitecaps. Each of these processes contributes to understanding wave dynamics, but specifically for the bending around obstacles, wave diffraction is the term that accurately describes this behavior.