Sound Mirrors
Functions & Equations
Sound mirrors are a world war era site in the UK and can be modelled by a quadratic.
Where this idea comes from
Start here — these are the sources that inspired this exploration.
Introduction
Sound mirrors are a world war era site in the UK and can be modelled by a quadratic. They work in the same way as any satellite dish. Research the ‘focus’ of a parabola, look up the mirrors on google earth (or use another satellite dish) and insert the image into desmos or geogebra. What’s the equation, how does it all fit together?
Guiding Questions
- Sound mirrors are curved like a parabola. Where does incoming sound concentrate, and why?
- Fit a quadratic to the cross-section of a sound mirror using photos or published dimensions.
- Where exactly is the focus of your fitted parabola, and does it match where the microphone stood?
- How does the size of the mirror affect what it can detect? Could you test the idea with a dish or reflector of your own?