HELP PLEASE Spherical Sound Waves Problem

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves a construction supervisor walking away from a jackhammer, which acts as a point source of spherical sound waves. The objective is to determine the distance she must walk for the amplitude of the sound wave to decrease by a specific factor.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Mathematical reasoning, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster seeks guidance on how to approach the problem. Some participants discuss the relationship between amplitude and distance, suggesting a mathematical expression for amplitude in relation to distance. Others express confusion regarding the application of these relationships and the numerical values provided.

Discussion Status

Participants are exploring different interpretations of the problem and discussing relevant mathematical relationships. Some have proposed equations based on the amplitude's dependence on distance, while others are still clarifying their understanding of the problem setup.

Contextual Notes

There is mention of specific values and relationships, but participants are questioning how to effectively utilize these in their calculations. The context of the problem suggests a need for clarity on the assumptions made regarding the sound wave propagation.

cmilho10
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A jackhammer, operated continuously at a construction site, behaves as a point source of spherical sound waves. A construction supervisor stands 63.5 m due north of this sound source and begins to walk due west. How far does she have to walk in order for the amplitude of the wave function to drop by a factor of 2.10?

Could someone point me in the right direction on solving this please?
 
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i hope i right

take origin as place where jackhammer is
[itex]y_0[/itex] is where supervisor at the beginning.
you know that amplidute falls with the distance as [itex]\frac{A_0}{r}[/itex]

assume that supervisor walks in positive x direction distance s
 
ok...but I'm still confused about what to do with these relationships and the numbers given in the problem
 
[tex]\frac{A_0}{r}=2.1[/tex]
=>[itex]r=\frac{A_0}{2.1}[/itex]

finaly

[tex]y_0^2+x^2=r^2=(\frac{A_0}{2.1})^2[/tex]
 
Last edited:

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