Wireless QOTD for May 17th

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Answer later.

 

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My guess for today is E

 

Still more time, folks. Any other takers?

 

Only a little over an hour to go. Anybody else?

 

Time's up. Correct answer is C: Diffraction. Diffraction happens when a radio wave front bends around an intervening object with sharp, irregular angles or a rough surface (usually a building in the case of outside transmissions). Consider how, when you drop a pebble in a pond that the wave front will bend around a twig sticking up through the surface, sending part of that front in a different direction.

Scattering (since it was the runaway favorite) occurs when the medium through which the wave travels consists of objects that are small and irregular. This happens when a wave front strikes the ground and the ground at that spot is composed of gravel (off-the-top-of-my-head example). The wave strikes the uneven surface and is scattered in about a jillion different directions. The statement in the original question spoke of the wave front being "polarized" which implies that it travels in a single direction. Scattering wouldn't produce a polarized effect.

Sorry for the long answer here, folks. We'll have another qotd tomorrow.

 

I don not believe this - I just came to this question now, answered C (and voted) only to scroll down to see it was closed, and was indeed C

Like any of you are gonna believe me .... :roll:

 

Well...it could have happened that way... No problem. The tragedy is that you were the only one right...too late.

 

No worries, Trip - I'm satisfied that I was right, even if no-one else believes me, and the irony is that that was the first one of your Wireless questions that I actually knew that it was the right answer.

Oh well, another day .... :roll:

 

Don't worry. You get an "A" for the day.