Wave Reflection
What happens to a wave when it hits a barrier? See for yourself. In a bathtub half full of water, use a wood plank to push a wave from one end to the other. You should be able to see the wave bounce back, or reflect off the wall of the tub. Take the same wood plank and send another wave at an angle to the side wall of the tub. Again the wave will reflect, this time at the same angle at which it hit the wall.
The angle created by the incoming wave is called the angle of incidence and the angle created by the reflected wave is called the angle of reflection.
Wave Refraction
A branch of science called seismology deals with the study of waves that travel through the Earth. These waves are produced naturally by earthquakes, or by large amounts of explosives planted in the ground. Scientists look at how and where these waves refract as they travel from one type of rock layer into another. This helps them to figure out what layers are in the Earth, and how thick and deep those layers are. |