The intensity of sound is x W/m2 at a distance of 5 m from the source. What is the intensity of the sound at a distance of 20 m from the source?
four times? then that energy is spread over a 16 times area, so new energy is x/16
To find the intensity of sound at a distance of 20 m from the source, we can use the inverse square law. According to the inverse square law, the intensity of sound is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source.
Mathematically, the inverse square law can be represented as:
I1 / I2 = (D2 / D1)²
Where:
I1 is the initial intensity at distance D1
I2 is the final intensity at distance D2
In this case, we have the initial intensity (I1) as x W/m² at a distance of 5 m (D1).
Plugging in the values into the formula, we get:
x / I2 = (20 / 5)²
Simplifying the equation:
x / I2 = 4²
x / I2 = 16
To find I2, we can rearrange the equation:
I2 = x / 16
So, the intensity of the sound at a distance of 20 m from the source would be x/16 W/m².