Waves, Sound and Light: Light Waves

Light Waves: Audio Guided Solution

Problem 14:

Two audio speakers have been arranged in a large room so as to produce a sound interference pattern. Miguel starts at a position on the central antinodal line and begins to slowly walk parallel to the imaginary line connecting the speakers. Miguel stops at the first position of minimum loudness. At this position, he is a distance of 17.9 m from the nearest speaker. Sound waves travel through the room at 345 m/s and the speakers are sounding out a frequency of 244 Hz.
a. Determine the wavelength of the sound waves.
b. Determine the distance from Miguel to the furthest speaker.

Audio Guided Solution

Habits of an Effective Problem Solver

  • Read the problem carefully and develop a mental picture of the physical situation. If necessary, sketch a simple diagram of the physical situation to help you visualize it.
  • Identify the known and unknown quantities and record in an organized manner, often times they can be recorded on the diagram itself. Equate given values to the symbols used to represent the corresponding quantity (e.g., v = 3.00x108 m/s, λ = 554 nm, f = ???).
  • Use physics formulas and conceptual reasoning to plot a strategy for solving for the unknown quantity.
  • Identify the appropriate formula(s) to use.
  • Perform substitutions and algebraic manipulations in order to solve for the unknown quantity.

Read About It!

Get more information on the topic of Light Waves at The Physics Classroom Tutorial.

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