Question

One of the applications of Snell’s law that is pretty important to the Navy is the effect of thermoclines in the ocean on the sound waves used by sonar systems to find submarines. The oceans typically have thermoclines (sharp changes in temperature, salinity, etc.) at depths of ? ~200?. The speed of sound above the thermocline is ? = 1510 ?/? and the speed below is ? = 1500 ?/?.

B) For which direction is total internal reflection possible? For sound coming from below the thermocline, or for sound coming from above? Explain your reasoning.

C) What is the critical angle ?? for total internal reflection in this case?

Answer 1