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Definition: sonar from Dictionary of Energy

Communication. a system that uses underwater sound waves to determine the location of objects and for navigation and communication. [An acronym for sound navigation and ranging.]

sonar

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
(sō'när), device used underwater for locating submerged objects and for submarine communication by means of sound waves. The term sonar is an acronym for so und na vigation r anging. The main component of sonar equipment is an electroacoustic transducer that is in direct contact with the water. It is suspended from the hull of a ship or on a cable from a low-flying helicopter. The transducer converts electric energy into acoustic energy (thus acting as a projector), much as does a loudspeaker, and converts acoustic energy into electric energy (serving as a hydrophone), as does a microphone. A pulse of electric energy vibrates the diaphragm of the projector, sending sound waves through the water. These waves are concentrated into a sound beam, which scans the water when the projector is rotated. After the sound wave is emitted, the projector is converted into a hydrophone and listens for an echo. The cycle is repeated periodically. A returning echo is converted into an electric current…
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The word “sonar” originated in the U.S. Navy during World War II as an acronym for “SOund NAvigation and Ranging,” which referred to the systematic use of sound waves, transmitted or reflected, to determine water depths as well as to detect and locate submerged objects. Until it adopted that term in…
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Full text Article sonar

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
(sō'när), device used underwater for locating submerged objects and for submarine communication by means of sound waves. The term sonar is an acronym for so und na vigation r anging. The main component of sonar equipment is an electroacoustic transducer that is in direct contact with the water. It…
| 374 words
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Full text Article sonar

From Science Encyclopedia: Encyclopedia of Marine Science
Sonar is actually an acronym that stands for so und n avigation a nd r anging. Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) was reportedly one of the first scientists to imagine this technique. The first patent for a sonar type device is credited to Lewis Fry Richardson (1881–1953), a meteorologist from Great…
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Full text Article Sonar

From The Encyclopedia of Tourism and Recreation in Marine Environments
Sonar (SOund Navigation And Ranging) was developed during WWI in response to the threat posed by submarines , which were becoming widely deployed by that time. Sonar can be termed ‘passive’, i.e. underwater microphones ( hydrophones ) for detecting underwater noise; or ‘active’, where high-intensity…
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Full text Article sonar,

From The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea
or sound navigational ranging, is the use of sound to explore the oceans, and for military and salvage purposes. And as the swim-bladders of fish that are gas filled are good reflectors, sonar (fish-finders) is used by commercial fisheries to detect fish shoals . Sound, particularly low-frequency…
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Active sonar system components.
Abstract The overwhelming majority of the world's ocean floor are unexplored and unmapped. Remote sensing techniques are required to cover the sheer spatial extent of the ocean floor, which includes satellites and sonar systems. The applications of sonar also extend beyond just ocean exploration; …
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Full text Article sonar

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Technique for detecting and determining the distance and direction of underwater objects by tracking acoustic echoes. The name derives from so und na vigation r anging. Sound waves emitted by or reflected from an object are detected by sonar apparatus and analyzed for information. In active sonar a…
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Full text Article sonar

From The American Heritage Student Science Dictionary
sonar Sonar equipment on a ship emits sound waves...
A method of detecting and determining an object’s location by sending out sound waves and then analyzing the waves that are reflected back from the object. Sonar is most often used to detect underwater objects, such as submarines or schools of fish. Because the speed of sound in water is constant, …
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Full text Article sonar

From Collins Spanish Dictionary
[VI] 1 (= producir sonido ) a b [ campana, teléfono, timbre ] to ring c [ aparato electrónico ] to beep, bleep • no ha parado de sonar el teléfono • otra alarma sonaba en un banco • sonó el teléfono en el salón • si suena el teléfono me alarmo • sonó el timbre y abrió la puerta • había sonado el…
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That pinging sound commonly associated with the submarine is the sound of a century-old technology called sonar, from sound navigation ranging. First extensively used in World War II to detect and attack enemy subs, sonar works much like medical ultrasound, sending out pulses of sound and measuring…
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