Oscillations and Waves > Wave propagation > Problem 3.7.13

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Statement

The region of increased pressure at the boundary of the medium propagates to the right with a speed greater than the speed of sound in the medium. What is the wave front in the medium? What is the direction of its propagation?

Solution

For problem $3.7.13$
For problem

Let and be previous and current positions of the source and be a point on the wavefront. Then, , so the envelope of emitted spherical waves is the surface of a cone. The angle between the wavefront and the direction of the source is .

Answer

A conical wavefront making an angle with the direction of the source.

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Contributed by @Tete · Last updated Aug 19, 2026
Cite this Tete (2026). Problem 3.7.13, O.Y. Savchenko, Problems in Physics. Savchenko Solutions. https://savchenkosolutions.com/en/3.7.13
Free to reuse under CC BY-SA 4.0 — with attribution.
Last edited Tete , Aug 19, 2026
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