- #1
Kafter
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OK, my current project is one involving some wuite complex acoustics, all of which I'm starting to grasp but am stumped by seemingly simple trigonometry!? Perhaps someone can help me?...
Draw a rectangle (longest sides top and bottom) with a right-angled triangle underneath it (longest side touching the rectangle (same length) and the other side on the right). Now if there were a beam of light, say, originating at the bottom left hand corner of this diagram aimed to the top line and reflected back so that it ends up at the bottom right-hand point, given that the lengths of all sidse of this quadrangle are known, how can one figure out this path length?
At first I thought I needed more information; but because the angle of incidence = the angle of reflection, there can be only one point where the beam is reflected in order for it's origin and ultimate points to be as given, therefore I assume there is a way of calculating where that point is, and using that, the path length required.
This has been boggling mr for a while so any help is greatly appreciated :D
Kafter
Draw a rectangle (longest sides top and bottom) with a right-angled triangle underneath it (longest side touching the rectangle (same length) and the other side on the right). Now if there were a beam of light, say, originating at the bottom left hand corner of this diagram aimed to the top line and reflected back so that it ends up at the bottom right-hand point, given that the lengths of all sidse of this quadrangle are known, how can one figure out this path length?
At first I thought I needed more information; but because the angle of incidence = the angle of reflection, there can be only one point where the beam is reflected in order for it's origin and ultimate points to be as given, therefore I assume there is a way of calculating where that point is, and using that, the path length required.
This has been boggling mr for a while so any help is greatly appreciated :D
Kafter