Wave properties and behaviour

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Question 3
Easy

A sound wave travels from a layer of warm air into a layer of cool air, crossing the boundary at an angle.

A diagram showing a horizontal boundary separating a layer of warm air above from a layer of cool air below. A dashed normal line is drawn vertically through the boundary. An incident sound wave, represented as a straight arrow (ray), travels downwards and to the right through the warm air, striking the boundary at an angle of incidence of approximately 45 degrees. Below the boundary in the cool air, three potential paths for the refracted wave are shown: Path A bends further away from the normal; Path B continues in a straight line; Path C bends closer towards the normal.

Identify which path (A, B, or C) the sound wave takes as it enters the cool air, and explain your choice in terms of the speed of the wave.

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Wave properties and behaviour Questions

  1. GCSE
  2. /Physics
  3. /Wave properties and behaviour