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Intensity is defined as energy per unit area. As we move away from the point source, the area over which the energy distributes is generally spherical or hemispherical. The area of a sphere or hemisphere increases proportional to the square of radius, where the radius in this case is the distance from the point source. Thus Intensity, which is inversely proportional to area, decreases with the square of distance.

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Q: Why does the intensity decrease with the square of the distance from a point source?
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How is the intensity of a sound related to the distance between the source and the receiver?

The intensity of a sound will decrease according to an inverse square law.


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