Answer :
Final answer:
The statement that waves become weaker with increased distance from the source is true due to the spreading of wave energy over a larger area, leading to a reduction in wave amplitude.
Explanation:
The statement that waves get weaker the farther away they get from the source is generally true. The weakening of waves, such as sound waves, as they move away from the source is mainly due to the fact that the energy of the waves is spread over an increasingly larger area.
This is particularly evident with spherical waves, where the surface area over which the wave spreads increases with the square of the distance from the source, leading to a reduction in the amplitude of the wave.
Hence, within increasing distance from the source, the wave heights, or amplitudes, would gradually decrease.
Contrary to some misconceptions, the decrease in amplitude is not because the frequency or the speed of sound waves decreases with distance, nor because the wavelength increases. Instead, it is the spreading out of the wave's energy that causes the amplitude to diminish.
