Two practical applications of sound wave reflection are in echoes and SONAR (Sound Navigation And Ranging). Echoes are used to determine distances, and SONAR uses reflected sound waves to locate objects underwater.
1. Echoes:
When sound waves travel through the air and encounter an obstacle, they are reflected back as an echo.
The time it takes for the echo to return can be used to calculate the distance to the obstacle.
This principle is used in applications like determining the depth of a lake or finding the distance to a cliff.
2. SONAR:
SONAR (Sound Navigation And Ranging) is a system that uses sound waves to locate objects underwater.
A device on a ship or submarine emits a sound pulse, and the time it takes for the reflected echo to return is measured.
This measurement, along with the speed of sound in water, allows for the determination of the distance and location of underwater objects, such as ships, icebergs, or even fish.