What principle describes how forces spread out equally in all directions and weaken with distance?

The Inverse Square Law is the principle that describes how forces, such as sound or light, propagate through space. This law states that the intensity of these forces decreases with the square of the distance from the source. In practical terms, this means that as you move further away from the origin of a sound wave or light source, the energy per unit area diminishes significantly; specifically, if you double the distance, the intensity is reduced to a quarter of its original value.

This principle is particularly important in understanding how sound waves behave in different environments, affecting their perception and the overall auditory experience. For instance, if someone is speaking at a certain volume, the sound will be much softer when measured from a greater distance compared to when it's measured up close, showcasing how the intensity diminishes due to spatial dispersion.

Other principles listed do not specifically address the behavior of sound or light intensity with distance. Newton's Law typically concerns motion and forces rather than intensity, the Sound Intensity Principle, while relevant to sound, does not specifically describe the distancing effect, and Fermat's Principle relates to the path light takes, not directly to intensity spread. Thus, the Inverse Square Law is the most accurate representation of how forces propagate and weaken as the distance