How do echoes work?

Answer 1

Echoes are sound bouncing off objects-usually large objects. If there are several objects i.e. mountains or tall buildings, you will hear the sound bounce back several times. The longer the time between echoes is due to the distance of the object from which it bounces off to the source of the sound. The farther an object is- the longer the time between the start of the sound and the 'bouncing' back of the sound. There is an echo if you yell in your room but the distance the sound is traveling is so short it is almost imperceptible. The notion that a surface needs to be flat is not always true either. Mountains aren't necessarily flat as they tend to slope on all sides to the top..

And contrary to popular belief.... Myth Busters did an episode not too long ago and found that a duck's quack WILL echo. There are no special properties in a quack that would make it any different than any other sound.

Have a great day!!!

Answer 2

Echos happen because sound bounces off things. But something else has to happen as well; just bouncing won't make an echo. After all, you don't hear an echo when you yell in your bedroom, even though the sound is bouncing off the walls.

1.The first requirement for an echo is distance. To get a good echo, the sound must bounce off something at least 75 metres away. Otherwise, it will return in less than half a second, and won't make a good echo.

2.What has to happen next is that a lot of the sound coming from you has to be made to bounce back. In order to get an echo, sound must follow a rule of reflection that says that it will bounce at the same angle at which it hit. If you expect any sound that hits the wall directly to bounce straight back to your ear, it must follow this rule. But it will only work if the bouncing surface is smooth. That's the second requirement for a good echo.


To be able to hear the small amount of returning sound, this also must be true:

3. All other sounds must be absorbed. Snow does this. You've probably noticed that it is very quiet outside after a heavy snowfall. That's because most of the sounds that would normally reach your ear are being absorbed by the layer of snow. And that's the perfect time to hear an echo in your own yard!

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4. There must be amplification of the sound, by having more than one smooth surface to bounce it back to you. The walls inside a big building work especially well (big, because the sound has to travel about 75 metres, remember?) but the building must be mostly empty so there is nothing in the way to absorb the sound. Smooth rock works well, especially in caves, where (because of the enclosed shape) almost all the sound will bounce back. Sides of a valley work too, although too many trees will absorb a lot of the sound.

And that's what makes an echo!

Answer 3

Can an echo magnify the volume of a sound?

Answer 4

Did you know that a ducks quack does not echo?

Answer 5

how do echoes work?

Answer 6

reflection of sound waves when they hit a surface the amplitued increases