Question

Fishing boats use sonar to locate schools of fish. What characteristic of sound is most important for this application of sonar?

Sound waves reflect off some surfaces
Sound waves diffract around corners
Sound waves interfere when they overlap
Sound waves spread out from a source

Answer 1

A sonar device sends pulses of sound waves down through the water. When these pulses hit objects like fish, vegetation or the bottom, they are reflected back to the surface. The sonar device measures how long it takes for the sound wave to travel down, hit an object and then bounce back up.