A sonic ranger is a device that determines the distance to an object by sending out an ultrasonic sound pulse and measuring how long it takes for the wave to return after it reflects from the object. Typically these devices cannot reliably detect an object that is less than half a meter from the sensor. Why is that?

College Physics
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ISBN:9781305952300
Author:Raymond A. Serway, Chris Vuille
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Chapter1: Units, Trigonometry. And Vectors
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 1CQ: Estimate the order of magnitude of the length, in meters, of each of the following; (a) a mouse, (b)...
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A sonic ranger is a device that determines the distance to an object by sending out an ultrasonic sound pulse and measuring how long it takes for the wave to return after it reflects from the object. Typically these devices cannot reliably detect an object that is less than half a meter from the sensor. Why is that?

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