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Zorluk: ZorSound Waves, Echoes, Pitch, Loudness, and Quality

A motorist travelling at a constant speed of 20 m s120\text{ m s}^{-1} directly towards a tall vertical cliff sounds a horn. If the motorist hears the echo of the horn 2.0 s2.0\text{ s} later and the speed of sound in air is 340 m s1340\text{ m s}^{-1}, what was the distance of the car from the cliff at the moment the horn was sounded?

Cevap: 360 m

Cevap

The distance of the car from the cliff at the instant the horn was sounded was 360 m360\text{ m}.
When the motorist sounds the horn at an initial distance DD from the cliff, the sound wave travels toward the cliff. In the 2.0 s2.0\text{ s} it takes for the echo to return, the car advances 40 m40\text{ m} toward the cliff (20 m s1×2.0 s20\text{ m s}^{-1} \times 2.0\text{ s}). The returning echo meets the motorist at a distance of (D40) m(D - 40)\text{ m} from the cliff. Consequently, the sound covers a total distance of D+(D40)=2D40 mD + (D - 40) = 2D - 40\text{ m}. Because the sound wave travels at 340 m s1340\text{ m s}^{-1} for 2.0 s2.0\text{ s}, the actual distance covered by sound is 340×2.0=680 m340 \times 2.0 = 680\text{ m}. Setting 2D40=6802D - 40 = 680 gives 2D=720 m2D = 720\text{ m}, which yields D=360 mD = 360\text{ m}.

Adım Adım Çözüm

1
Calculate the distance covered by the car while moving toward the cliff during the echo time interval.
dcar=20 m s1×2.0 s=40 md_{\text{car}} = 20\text{ m s}^{-1} \times 2.0\text{ s} = 40\text{ m}.
The car continues to move closer to the cliff for the entire 2.0 s2.0\text{ s} period.
2
Set up an expression for the total distance covered by the sound wave.
dsound=D+(D40)=2D40 md_{\text{sound}} = D + (D - 40) = 2D - 40\text{ m}.
The sound travels forward a distance DD to the cliff and reflects back to the car's updated location, which is (D40) m(D - 40)\text{ m} from the cliff.
3
Calculate the distance travelled by sound using the given speed of sound.
dsound=340 m s1×2.0 s=680 md_{\text{sound}} = 340\text{ m s}^{-1} \times 2.0\text{ s} = 680\text{ m}.
Sound propagates through air at 340 m s1340\text{ m s}^{-1}.
4
Equate the geometric path expression to the physical sound distance and solve for DD.
2D40=680    2D=720    D=360 m2D - 40 = 680 \implies 2D = 720 \implies D = 360\text{ m}.
Solving the equation yields the initial position of the car relative to the cliff.

Anahtar Kavram

Echo distance calculation with a moving observer
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