Two people are talking at a distance of 3.4 m from where you are, and you measure the sound intensity as 1.0 10-7 W/m2. Another student is 4.2 m away from the talkers. What sound intensity does the other student measure? I just don't know how to start this problem

power decreases as the square of distance.

calculate the intensity level at the original distance, then

Level2=level1-20log(3.4/(3.4+4.2))

thanks

To solve this problem, you can use the inverse square law, which states that the intensity of sound decreases as the square of the distance from the source increases. Here are the steps to solve the problem:

1. Determine the ratio of the distances. The other student is 4.2 m away from the talkers, while you are 3.4 m away. Therefore, the ratio of the distances is (4.2 m)/(3.4 m) = 1.24.

2. Square the ratio obtained in step 1. (1.24)^2 = 1.5376. This gives you the factor by which the sound intensity will decrease.

3. Multiply the measured sound intensity (1.0 * 10^-7 W/m^2) by the squared ratio from step 2 to find the sound intensity at the other student's location. (1.0 * 10^-7 W/m^2) * 1.5376 = 1.5376 * 10^-7 W/m^2.

Therefore, the other student would measure a sound intensity of 1.5376 * 10^-7 W/m^2.

To start this problem, you can use the inverse square law of sound intensity. According to this law, the sound intensity decreases with the square of the distance from the source.

The formula for the inverse square law of sound intensity is:
I1 / I2 = (r2 / r1)^2

Where:
- I1 is the sound intensity at distance r1.
- I2 is the sound intensity at distance r2.
- r1 and r2 are the respective distances from the sound source.

In this case, we know:
- I1 = 1.0 * 10^-7 W/m^2 (sound intensity where you are)
- r1 = 3.4 m (distance from the talkers to you)
- r2 = 4.2 m (distance from the talkers to the other student)

Now, we can substitute these values into the formula and solve for I2.

I1 / I2 = (r2 / r1)^2

1.0 * 10^-7 / I2 = (4.2 / 3.4)^2

1.0 * 10^-7 / I2 = 1.3856

To get I2, we can isolate it by rearranging the equation:

I2 = 1.0 * 10^-7 / 1.3856

I2 ≈ 7.213 * 10^-8 W/m^2

Therefore, the sound intensity that the other student measures is approximately 7.213 * 10^-8 W/m^2.