Question

Two sound waves traveling in the same medium interfere with each other. The compression of one wave falls on the compression of the other wave. What can you say about the resultant sound?
The resultant sound will be louder than the individual sound waves.
The resultant sound will be lower than the individual sound waves.
The resultant sound will have the same loudness as the individual sound waves.
The resultant sound will not be heard at all.

Answer 1

Answer: The correct answer is the resultant sound will be louder than the individual sound waves.

Explanation:

There are two types of interference which happens when two waves interact:

1. Constructive interference: In this type of interference, the two waves superimpose to form a resultant wave which has greater amplitude. The amplitude of the waves gets added up.

2. Destructive interference: In this type of interference, the two waves superimpose to form a resultant wave which has lower amplitude. The amplitude of the waves gets subtracted.

In the given question, the two waves are interacting and compression of one wave falls on another wave. Hence, they are undergoing a constructive interference.

So, the resultant sound will be louder than the individual sound waves.

Answer 2

The correct answer among all the other choices is "The resultant sound will be louder than the individual sound waves." Thank you for posting your question. I hope this answer helped you. Let me know if you need more help.