What is refraction?

What is refraction?

• A. Sound waves bending when passing through different media.
• B. Sound waves bouncing off surfaces.
• C. Sound waves bending around obstacles.
• D. Sound waves losing energy.

Answer: (A)

Refraction is the bending of waves as they pass from one medium to another with a different speed. For sound, different materials (air, water, steel) carry sound at different speeds; when a sound wave hits a boundary at an angle, part of it changes speed as it enters the new medium, so its path tilts and the direction changes. If the wave hits the boundary head-on, there’s a speed change but no bending. The other phenomena—reflection (bouncing off), diffraction (bending around obstacles), and attenuation (loss of energy)—are separate effects and not refraction.

Refraction is the bending of waves as they pass from one medium to another with a different speed. For sound, different materials (air, water, steel) carry sound at different speeds; when a sound wave hits a boundary at an angle, part of it changes speed as it enters the new medium, so its path tilts and the direction changes. If the wave hits the boundary head-on, there’s a speed change but no bending. The other phenomena—reflection (bouncing off), diffraction (bending around obstacles), and attenuation (loss of energy)—are separate effects and not refraction.