Waves, Sound and Light: Light Waves

Light Waves: Audio Guided Solution

Extra Problem 15:

A warehouse on a dock has two open doors. A boat sounds its horn from across the river. To person A, the sound is loud and clear; he is located directly between the two open doors near the back wall of the wharehouse. To person B, the sound is barely audible. The principal wavelength of the sound waves is 3.64 meters. Assuming that person B is at the position of the first minimum and near the back wall of the wharehouse, determine the distance (in meters) between the doors, center to center. Persons A and B are located 161 meters from the wall of the warehouse and are spaced 27.4 meters apart.



 

Audio Guided Solution

Click to show or hide the answer!




Habits of an Effective Problem Solver

An effective problem solver by habit approaches a physics problem in a manner that reflects a collection of disciplined habits. An effective problem-solver...

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

 

Read About It!

The following pages from The Physics Classroom Tutorial may serve to be useful in assisting you in the understanding of the concepts and mathematics associated with these problems.


Return to Original Problem Set

Return to Index of Extra Problems

Return to Overview