- #1
sebas531
- 47
- 1
I have been studying sound waves, however, i have not seen in my books nor online how sound waves "move." I know that sound waves are longitudinal waves, meaning, that they move parallel to the direction of displacement, but it seems like they just travel in one direction although they reflect off things. For example all we cover in school is just a picture of them as: ||| | | | ||| | | | |||. (for you, the reader, probably know the close together lines represent compression and the far spaced ones represent rarefraction. I am just explaining what the "drawing" represents.) now, that makes me think that they are moving in one direction (it can't be like that) because if it were a person behind me on an open field would not be able to hear me if i speak. I would say that sound waves would move in a ripple way. Not exactly like a ripple since ripples occur in water. Could someone explain to me how sound waves move so that a person behind me could hear me in an open field? Thank you.