Rayleigh scattering redirects the sound wave _____ in all directions.

Rayleigh scattering redirects the sound wave _____ in all directions.

• A. Equally
• B. Differently
• C. Not at all
• D. Partially

Answer: (A)

Rayleigh scattering happens when the scatterer is much smaller than the wavelength. In that situation, the disturbance it creates behaves like a tiny point source, radiating the scattered wave almost uniformly in all directions. That leads to the sound being redirected with nearly equal intensity no matter which direction you look, i.e., an isotropic pattern. If the scatterers were not so small, the angular distribution would show directional preference, but in the Rayleigh regime the distribution is effectively uniform.

Rayleigh scattering happens when the scatterer is much smaller than the wavelength. In that situation, the disturbance it creates behaves like a tiny point source, radiating the scattered wave almost uniformly in all directions. That leads to the sound being redirected with nearly equal intensity no matter which direction you look, i.e., an isotropic pattern. If the scatterers were not so small, the angular distribution would show directional preference, but in the Rayleigh regime the distribution is effectively uniform.