Sound travels in a _____ line.

Sound travels in a _____ line.

• A. straight line
• B. curved line
• C. circular line
• D. zigzag line

Answer: (A)

Sound energy travels along straight-line paths in a uniform medium. When air (or any medium) has constant properties, the disturbances that carry the sound move in the same direction, so the ray of travel points straight from the source. In reality, the wavefronts from a point source are spheres expanding outward, but the direction of travel for a given ray remains straight if the medium doesn’t change. If the medium changes, or there are obstacles, the path can bend, reflect, or diffract, which is when you’d see curved or indirect routes.

Sound energy travels along straight-line paths in a uniform medium. When air (or any medium) has constant properties, the disturbances that carry the sound move in the same direction, so the ray of travel points straight from the source. In reality, the wavefronts from a point source are spheres expanding outward, but the direction of travel for a given ray remains straight if the medium doesn’t change. If the medium changes, or there are obstacles, the path can bend, reflect, or diffract, which is when you’d see curved or indirect routes.