Final answer:
Sound waves spread out and bend around corners, while light waves behave like rays and do not bend around corners.
Step-by-step explanation:
The difference between sound waves and light waves when passing through an opening is that light waves behave like rays and do not bend around corners, while sound waves spread out and bend around corners due to their longer wavelengths.
Light waves have very short wavelengths, which allows them to act like rays and create sharp shadows when passing through openings. On the other hand, sound waves have longer wavelengths, on the order of the size of the opening, and can bend around corners.
For example, when light shines through an open door into a dark room, we expect to see a sharp shadow of the doorway on the floor and no light bending around corners. However, when sound passes through a door, we expect to hear it everywhere in the room, indicating that sound waves spread out and bend around corners.