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Question

Difficulty: EasyWaves, Sound, and Light

When a person shouts inside a large empty gymnasium, they hear their voice repeated a moment later as an echo. Which wave behavior is directly responsible for producing an echo?

  1. A
    Diffraction
  2. ReflectionAnswer
  3. C
    Refraction
  4. D
    Absorption

Answer

Reflection is the wave behavior responsible for producing an echo.
An echo is heard when sound waves strike a rigid barrier and bounce back toward the listener. This bouncing back of a wave from a surface is defined as reflection.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the physical scenario of an echo
Sound waves travel outward from the source, strike a hard obstacle such as a gymnasium wall, and bounce back to the listener.
Identifying the motion of the wave as returning after hitting a boundary isolates the specific physical mechanism.
2
Associate the wave behavior with standard physical terminology
The bouncing back of waves upon encountering an impenetrable surface is defined as reflection.
An echo is a direct real-world example of sound wave reflection.

Key Concept

Sound wave reflection and echo formation
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Waves, Sound, and Light

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