What is the term for the bending of a radio wave due to a change in its velocity through a medium?

Refraction is the term used to describe the bending of a radio wave as it passes from one medium to another, resulting from a change in the wave's velocity. This phenomenon occurs because different materials have different densities and properties, which affect how quickly the wave travels through them.

When a radio wave moves from a less dense medium, like air, into a denser medium, such as water or glass, its speed decreases, causing the wave to change direction at the boundary between the two materials. This bending effect is critical in various applications, such as in radio communications, where understanding how waves propagate through different environments can impact signal strength and clarity.

Diffraction refers to the bending of waves around obstacles or through openings, while reflection involves the bouncing back of a wave when it encounters a surface. Interference is the result of two or more waves overlapping, either enhancing or canceling each other out. Each of these phenomena illustrates different wave behaviors but does not specifically describe the velocity-induced bending that occurs in refraction.