Recent content by Matisse

Antiphon - I think I use the term diffaction correctly, at least I hope so since I teach introductory physical optics. Diffraction shows minima given by \delta_{}min = a sin \theta = m \lambda. If one is at the exact position of the minima the intensity should be zero (or very close to it)...

I have not done physics at a high level in a long time, but I do not recall being familiar with the expression. "energy diffracts". To be honest, it kinda shocks my sensibilities. I understand diffraction as a phenomenon happening when waves will interfere constructively or destructively and I...

Here is an intuitive argument. Imagine that a device calculates crests in the first substance (let's say glass) and a separate device calculates crests in the second substance. Both devices must count the same number of crests(let's say 3 E 10) for if they did not crests would accumulate at...

My pleasure. :)

I believe that you are thinking mostly in terms of specular reflection when diffuse reflection is very important for sound. Take a tuning fork for example. Its sound is amplified many folds if you hold it close to a table or a wall, or even better if your let it be in contact with it...

Yes. The speaker (one source) would have to be placed very far away from the door. Straight lines drawn from the source to each side of the door would have to be almost parallel. Assuming that there are no surface that will vibrate at the frequency of the sound and therefore act as a...

What do you mean?

A few other things do not work in the situation you described. For diffraction, the Fraunhofer conditions states that the wave should arrive at the slit as a http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/phyopt/sinint.html#c3". In your case, with the speaker so close to the door, this condition...

No, because the sound does not travel horizontally but in all directions radially from the speakers. It travels up and down so it would reflect on the ceiling and floor. (This is not like a laser beam on a slit.) Sound also travels on the floors, walls and ceiling and each vibrating surface...

Reflection from the walls, floor and ceiling.

With thin films, you look only at the first two reflected rays because their intensity should be comparable (they have each been reflected only once). For a bubble of soapy water, the first reflected ray has an intensity of 2,006 % of the original intensity at normal incidence while the second...