Does sound travel towards or away from the source?

AI Thread Summary
Sound and light both travel away from their sources under normal conditions, adhering to Sommerfeld radiation conditions. However, when these waves encounter reflective surfaces, they can reflect back toward the source. This principle applies to various scenarios, including the interaction of sound with walls or light with mirrors. The discussion highlights the behavior of waves in different environments and their potential to return to the source. Understanding these dynamics is crucial in fields like acoustics and optics.
lotsoluv4ya
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Does sound travel towards or away from the source? Does light travel towards or away from the source?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Physics news on Phys.org
In principle,they travel away from the source (we call them Sommerfeld radiation conditions),but if waves meeet a reflective surface,they can come back to the source.If u put a mirror near an electric bolt...? :wink:

Daniel.
 

Thread 'Average velocity as a weighted mean'

Hello everyone, Consider the problem in which a car is told to travel at 30 km/h for L kilometers and then at 60 km/h for another L kilometers. Next, you are asked to determine the average speed. My question is: although we know that the average speed in this case is the harmonic mean of the two speeds, is it also possible to state that the average speed over this 2L-kilometer stretch can be obtained as a weighted average of the two speeds? Best regards, DaTario
View full post »

Thread '1:1 versus 2:1 Mechanical Advantage debate'

The rope is tied into the person (the load of 200 pounds) and the rope goes up from the person to a fixed pulley and back down to his hands. He hauls the rope to suspend himself in the air. What is the mechanical advantage of the system? The person will indeed only have to lift half of his body weight (roughly 100 pounds) because he now lessened the load by that same amount. This APPEARS to be a 2:1 because he can hold himself with half the force, but my question is: is that mechanical...
View full post »

Thread 'Newton's first law?'

Some physics textbook writer told me that Newton's first law applies only on bodies that feel no interactions at all. He said that if a body is on rest or moves in constant velocity, there is no external force acting on it. But I have heard another form of the law that says the net force acting on a body must be zero. This means there is interactions involved after all. So which one is correct?
View full post »

Similar threads

I Deriving Doppler Effect Frequency w/ Stationary Person & Moving Source
Replies
3
Views
1K
B What sound frequencies can pass through a hole in a wall?
Replies
31
Views
3K
Sound Wave Doppler effect question
Replies
13
Views
3K
I Sound pressure and inverse distance law
Replies
5
Views
2K
Speed of Sound Experiment: Hear the Results
Replies
4
Views
2K
I Does two-slit sound-wave interference pattern return to original form?
Replies
10
Views
2K
A Question about Sound Waves Propagating Through a Large Metal Cube
Replies
10
Views
3K
Doppler effect and multiple independant sound sources.
Replies
4
Views
2K
What Does an Observer Hear When Traveling at the Speed of Sound?
Replies
6
Views
2K
Huygens' Principle for Sound Waves
Replies
9
Views
9K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top