Sound: Diffraction and InterferenceWe head back to the recording studio to study interference and diffraction of sound waves. We investigate qualitatively how diffraction affects sound waves of various frequencies. We also explore how constructive and destructive interference patterns are created and what that means for what we hear coming from a sound source.
Learning Objectives
-Define the terms diffraction and interference.-Explain how double slit diffraction creates interference patterns within sound waves.
-Describe how amplitude is affected by sound waves interfering with one another constructively and destructively.
-Understand how the frequency of a sound wave affects how it is diffracted.
-Describe the principle of superposition.
-Explain what a beat is and be able to calculate it for two given waves that are interfering with one another.
-Define the terms diffraction and interference.-Explain how double slit diffraction creates interference patterns within sound waves.
-Describe how amplitude is affected by sound waves interfering with one another constructively and destructively.
-Understand how the frequency of a sound wave affects how it is diffracted.
-Describe the principle of superposition.
-Explain what a beat is and be able to calculate it for two given waves that are interfering with one another.
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Vocabulary
beat - what is heard as changes in amplitude when sound waves with almost identical frequencies interfere with one another. compression - compressed areas of high pressure in a sound wave. constructive interference - when two waves are identical in frequency and, in the case of a sound wave, their compressions and rarefactions are aligned in phase. destructive interference - when two waves interfere and are 180º out of phase with each other. diffraction - the bending of waves around a barrier. interference - the combination of two or more waves to form a resultant wave in which the displacement is either reinforced or canceled. principle of superposition - when waves in space interfere with one another, they combine to form bigger or smaller waves. rarefaction - areas of lower pressure in a sound wave. reverberation - the compounding of many reflected soundwaves upon one another within a space. |