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4-2000
Recommended Citation
Ross, Charles D., "Blending History with Physics: Acoustic Refraction" (2000). Chemistry and Physics Faculty Publications. Paper 26.
http://digitalcommons.longwood.edu/chemphys_facpubs/26
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N O T E
AT = AS + AA + AE (1)
208 THE PHYSICS TEACHER Vol. 38, April 2000 Blending History with Physics: Acoustic Refraction
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from the sound source than upwind. nications and military strategy in the
This effect is shown in Fig. 1. 1860s, if a military commander inad-
The lower atmosphere normally vertently placed himself in an
exhibits a decreasing temperature acoustic shadow it often had disas-
profile with increasing altitude, and trous consequences. Space does not
sound waves refract upward (in much permit an extensive description of the
the same way that light waves refract effects of unusual acoustics in the
upward in the traditional mirage U.S. Civil War; the interested reader
example). The speed of sound in dry is encouraged to read previous articles
air may be found from the following by the author (reprints available).3,4
equation: Here is a brief account of one of the
various instances from that war.
c (m/s) = 331.36 + 0.6067 T (2) At Iuka, Mississippi, on Sept. 20,
1862, Major General Ulysses S.
where c is the speed of sound and T is Grant formulated a plan typical of the
temperature in degrees centigrade. day, with sounds of battle acting as a
A vertical temperature gradient of trigger for troop movements. His
10⬚C/km has the same refractive plan, if successful, would have
effect as a vertical wind shear of brought about the defeat of one of the
6 m/s per km.2 For the idealized case primary Confederate armies (under
of a constant sound-speed gradient, Sterling Price). Grant’s plan called
sound waves will refract in a circular for forces under Brigadier General
arc with radius R given by: William Rosecrans to come upon
Iuka (where Price’s men were based)
R = c0/G (3) from the south. The remainder of
Grant’s men, under Major General
where c0 is the sound speed at the Edward Ord, were to wait four miles
source and G is the sound speed gra- north of Iuka until the sounds of
dient. engagement between Rosecrans’s
When the sound speed gradient, forces and those of Price were heard.
G, changes sign at a substantial Late in the afternoon, Ord and those interested in exploring the topic
height (due to wind-induced down- Grant saw smoke rising from Iuka but more deeply will find a variety of
ward refraction or from a temperature heard nothing and assumed that Price examples from both earlier and later
inversion, with higher temperatures was burning supplies to prevent their periods (especially from World War
aloft), sound waves can be refracted capture. Rosecrans and Price had I).
back down to the ground. This sce- actually been engaged for over two
nario can cause the sound to be audi- hours, but by the time couriers noti- References
ble at some distance from the source, fied Grant it was too late: Price had 1. For example, see L. C.
while observers closer to the source slipped out between the two Union Sutherland and G. A. Daigle, in
hear nothing. The latter folks are said armies and avoided the intended pin- Handbook of Acoustics edited
to be in an acoustic shadow zone. If cer movement. by M. J. Crocker (Wiley, New
York, 1998), Chap. 28.
there is adequate ground reflection, The culprit in this case was a
the effect can repeat itself, causing a strong wind blowing from north to 2. R. G. Fleagle and J. A.
“bulls-eye” pattern of rings of audi- south that had placed Grant and Ord Businger, An Introduction to
Atmospheric Physics (Aca-
bility and inaudibility around the in an acoustic shadow as sounds of
demic Press, New York, 1963),
source (see Fig. 2). This effect can battle were refracted upward over p. 306.
cause audibility of sounds of battle at their heads.
3. Charles Ross, “Shh! Battle in
unusually long distances: at times,
Comment progress,” Civil War Times
the battle of Gettysburg was inaudi- Illus. 35, 56-62 (1996).
ble ten miles away, while it was heard My students seem to find such
4. Charles Ross, “Outdoor sound
clearly at times in Pittsburgh, 160 real-life cases of the effects of refrac-
propagation in the US Civil
miles (250 km) to the west. tion to be interesting and I encourage War,” Applied Acoust. 59, 137-
others to try this interdisciplinary 147 (2000).
An Example from the Civil War angle on an old topic. There are many
Because of the nature of commu- such cases from the Civil War, and
Blending History with Physics: Acoustic Refraction THE PHYSICS TEACHER Vol. 38, April 2000 209
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