One of the most important applications of the reflection of sound is oceanographic studies. For this purpose, we use a system called the SONAR. The SONAR is abbreviated form of Sound Navigation and Ranging. The SONAR system is used for detecting the presence of unseen under water object, such as submerged submarine, a sunken ship, iceberg and locating them. In Sonar ultrasonic waves are sent in all directions from the ship and are then received on their return after reflection.
Determination of the depth of an ocean
The depth of an ocean is determined with the help of SONAR.
Sonar uses ultrasonic waves to detect and locate objects under water.
Ultrasonic waves produced from the transmitter kept in a ship are directed towards the ocean floor.
The ocean floor reflects these waves.
By measuring the time interval t between the generation of the wave and reception of the echo, we calculate the depth of the ocean by using the relation
Where v is the velocity of ultrasonic waves.
