Two point sources of sound are separated by 10 cm . They vibrate in phase, generating waves with a wavelength of 5.0 cm . Determine the phase difference between the two waves arriving at a point located 20 cm from one source on the perpendicular bisector of the line connecting the sources.

Step-by-step solution

Let the two point sources be S₁ and S₂ , and the observation point be P . The point P is located on the perpendicular bisector of the line joining the two sources. By the geometric property of a perpendicular bisector, any point on it is equidistant from both the sources. Given that the distance of point P from one source is 20 cm , its distance from the other source must also be 20 cm . S₁P = 20 cm S₂P = 20 cm The path difference x between the two waves reaching point P is: x = S₁P - S₂P = 20 cm - 20 cm = 0 The ph