What is the mirror-like behavior of radio waves when interacting with conductive materials known as?

The mirror-like behavior of radio waves when they encounter conductive materials is known as reflection. This happens because the conductive surface causes the incoming radio waves to bounce back rather than pass through the material. The principle behind this is similar to how light reflects off a mirror; when waves hit a conductive barrier, they do not penetrate but instead redirect in the opposite direction. This property is crucial in various applications, such as in antennas where signals are sent and received, and it significantly affects the design and behavior of radio communication systems.

In contrast, the other concepts like diffraction involves the bending of waves around obstacles, refraction refers to the change in direction of waves when they pass through different mediums, and interference is the process where two or more waves superimpose to form a new wave pattern. These phenomena, while important in wave dynamics, do not describe the specific behavior of waves bouncing off conductive materials.