Sound waves can reflect off surfaces. We hear reflected sound waves as echoes. Hard, smooth surfaces are particularly good at reflecting sound. This is why empty rooms produce lots of echoes. Soft ...

Figure 10-1 illustrates the reflection of waves from a sound source from a rigid, plane wall surface. The spherical wavefronts (solid lines) strike the wall and the reflected wavefronts (broken lines) ...

Whether a sound wave is reflected, refracted, or absorbed depends on the densities of the materials either side of the boundary. If the densities are very different then reflection is more likely.

This direct sound, which arrives first at the ears of the listener, establishes the perception of the direction from which the sound came. Even though it is immediately inundated by a stream of ...