Did I understand sound refraction (am I doing it right)?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Amar
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Refraction Sound
AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around calculating the refraction angle of a wave transitioning from air to water, using the formula sinα/sinβ = c1/c2. The initial angle of incidence is 13°, with wave velocities of 550 m/s in air and 1650 m/s in water. The user initially calculated the refraction angle to be approximately 41°, but further clarification revealed that the angle should be measured from the normal to the interface. After considering more decimal places in calculations, the refined result was 41°17'59.54". The conversation emphasizes the importance of accurately defining angles and using precise calculations in wave refraction problems.
Amar
Messages
12
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement


Moving through air, a wave hits a steady area of water with a angle of 13°. The velocity of the wave in air is 550 m/s and in the water 1650 m/s. What is the refraction angle of the wave? Does the angle move away or to the line of symmetry?
Btw. I think I translated it correctly from Bosnian so correct me if it's wrong

Homework Equations



So I didn't understand it so I went looking on the internet and found out it has to do something with some Huygenss dude.
Anyway this is what I went with :
sinα/sinβ = c1/c2

The Attempt at a Solution


What I got was β = 41°(nearly)
and the wave goes away from the line of symmetry
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Amar said:

Homework Statement


Moving through air, a wave hits a steady area of water with a angle of 13°. The velocity of the wave in air is 550 m/s and in the water 1650 m/s. What is the refraction angle of the wave? Does the angle move away or to the line of symmetry?
Btw. I think I translated it correctly from Bosnian so correct me if it's wrong
The translation is okay as far as it goes, but a couple of points need clarification: First, what is the 13° angle measured with respect to? Second, what is the "line of symmetry"? Is it the normal (perpendicular) to the interface between the two media?

Homework Equations



So I didn't understand it so I went looking on the internet and found out it has to do something with some Huygenss dude.
You should also have come across Snell and Descartes.
Anyway this is what I went with :
sinα/sinβ = c1/c2
3. The Attempt at a Solution

What I got was β = 41°(nearly)
and the wave goes away from the line of symmetry
Maybe you should keep a few more decimal places in your intermediate calculations; I get a value that is just a little bit larger than that assuming that the angles are measured with respect to the normal.
 
  • Like
Likes Amar
gneill said:
First, what is the 13° angle measured with respect to? Second, what is the "line of symmetry"? Is it the normal (perpendicular) to the interface between the two media?
Thanks for pointing that out. Yes the 'line of symmetry' should be the normal to the interface ( it's actually called that in my language but I didn't think it would apply to English too). And the angle is closed by the interface and normal.
gneill said:
Maybe you should keep a few more decimal places in your intermediate calculations; I get a value that is just a little bit larger than that assuming that the angles are measured with respect to the normal.
So I'm guessing that my attempt was correct. My result was 41°17'59,54'' and that's just a bit larger :D
Thanks for the reply :)
----------------------
 
Thread 'Voltmeter readings for this circuit with switches'
TL;DR Summary: I would like to know the voltmeter readings on the two resistors separately in the picture in the following cases , When one of the keys is closed When both of them are opened (Knowing that the battery has negligible internal resistance) My thoughts for the first case , one of them must be 12 volt while the other is 0 The second case we'll I think both voltmeter readings should be 12 volt since they are both parallel to the battery and they involve the key within what the...
Thread 'Trying to understand the logic behind adding vectors with an angle between them'
My initial calculation was to subtract V1 from V2 to show that from the perspective of the second aircraft the first one is -300km/h. So i checked with ChatGPT and it said I cant just subtract them because I have an angle between them. So I dont understand the reasoning of it. Like why should a velocity be dependent on an angle? I was thinking about how it would look like if the planes where parallel to each other, and then how it look like if one is turning away and I dont see it. Since...
Back
Top