Question

Three speakers--F, G, and H--give six consecutive one-hour speeches, two speeches per speaker. Exactly one speaker speaks during each hour. The speaker that gives the first speech must also give the second speech.

a) True
b) False

Answer 1

The claim that a wave's amplitude is only affected by another wave's amplitude when perfectly aligned is false, as wave interaction and the resulting amplitude changes depend on superposition and can happen without perfect alignment.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that the amplitude of one wave is affected by the amplitude of another wave only when they are precisely aligned is false. This concept is related to the principle of superposition in physics, which explains how waves interact with one another. Specifically, when two waves meet at a point, their amplitudes combine to produce a resultant wave. The critical factor here is that the waves need to be in the same medium and approaching each other for interaction to occur. This interaction can happen in a constructive way, where the amplitudes add together to produce a larger amplitude, known as constructive interference, or in a destructive way, where amplitudes subtract from each other, leading to destructive interference.

However, the notion that this only happens when waves are 'precisely aligned' is misleading. Alignment could suggest that they need to be in phase, meaning that their peaks and troughs match up perfectly. However, interference can occur even if the waves are not perfectly in phase; as long as they meet, their amplitudes will still interact. The degree of alignment, or phase difference, will determine the extent of constructive or destructive interference, but interaction will occur regardless of whether they are perfectly aligned or not.In conclusion, waves can interfere with each other and affect each other's amplitude regardless of perfect alignment. This interaction can result in changes in amplitude based on the relative phases of the waves when they meet.