Mrs. Brandon's class was experimenting with different forms of waves. She had one student go outside of her classroom, shine a light on the wooden classroom door, and then scream towards the door.

Question

What behavior of waves is Mrs. Brandon trying to explain?
Lightwaves can be seen through mediums.
Mediums cause waves to behave differently.
Sound waves cannot be heard through a medium.
Mediums have no effect on waves. Each wave behaves independently of the medium.

Answer 1

Mrs. Brandon is trying to explain that mediums cause waves to behave differently.

In this experiment, the light wave from the student shining a light on the door demonstrates how light can pass through and interact with different materials, while the sound wave from the student screaming shows how sound propagation can be affected by the environment (including whether the door is open or closed, and the material of the door itself). It highlights the concept of how different mediums can influence the behavior of various types of waves.