What phenomenon causes sound to change direction or speed, such as due to wind or rain?

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Multiple Choice

What phenomenon causes sound to change direction or speed, such as due to wind or rain?

Refraction is the bending of sound as it moves through regions where its speed changes. When environmental conditions like wind or temperature create a gradient in how fast sound travels at different locations, parts of the wave travel at different speeds, causing the wavefront to tilt and the path to bend. Wind that varies with height, for example, creates a speed gradient that steers the sound direction, sometimes making it appear to bend downward toward the ground or shift sideways. Reflection, diffraction, and absorption involve bouncing off surfaces, bending around obstacles, or losing energy, respectively, rather than a smooth change in speed due to a gradient in the medium.

Refraction is the bending of sound as it moves through regions where its speed changes. When environmental conditions like wind or temperature create a gradient in how fast sound travels at different locations, parts of the wave travel at different speeds, causing the wavefront to tilt and the path to bend. Wind that varies with height, for example, creates a speed gradient that steers the sound direction, sometimes making it appear to bend downward toward the ground or shift sideways. Reflection, diffraction, and absorption involve bouncing off surfaces, bending around obstacles, or losing energy, respectively, rather than a smooth change in speed due to a gradient in the medium.

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