Final answer:
Diffraction causes light waves to bend around obstacles or pass through narrow openings and spread out. Shorter wavelength light bends more than longer wavelength light, impacting the resolution of optical images compared to radio images in telescopes with identical apertures.
Step-by-step explanation:
Diffraction is the phenomenon where light waves bend around obstacles or pass through narrow openings and spread out. Shorter wavelength light bends more than longer wavelength light because the shorter wavelength allows for more bending. This phenomenon impacts the resolution of optical images compared to radio images in telescopes with identical apertures because shorter wavelength light will produce a wider diffraction pattern, resulting in lower resolution and less detail in the optical image compared to the radio image.