LESSON 7- Analysing sound waves

Producing sounds Sound waves are longitudinal waves that are transmitted through almost any substance i.e solid , liquid or gas. The waves are produced by any mechanism which produces compressional vibrations of the surrounding medium. Some examples are the vibrating string of a guitar, exploding gas in firecracker and the vibrating diaphragm of a loudspeaker. Vibrations in a vacuum Sound cannot travel through a vacuum because in a vacuum there is no material to transmit the compressions. A common demonstration of this to show that is a ringing bell cannot be heard if the bell is in a vacuum chamber. The bell is vibrating , but there is no surrounding material to carry the vibration to our ears. Similarly we cannot hear the nuclear explosions on the sun because there is no medium in space. Astronauts cannot speak to each other on the moon without using radio waves, because there is no air on the moon through which sound waves can travel. Sound waves in air

Sound waves are longitudinal waves. The sound waves from a loudspeaker produce compressions and rarefactions of the air molecules. When molecules pushed forwards (to the right) meet molecules bouncing backwards(to the left) , after collisions with other molecules in front, a region of compression is produced where the air pressure is higher. In between the compressions are rarefactions where the number of molecules is reduced and air pressure is lower.

Thus we may describe a progressive wave sound in air as a travelling pressure wave in which regions of increased air pressure travel along where the air molecules are compressed together separated by regions of reduced air pressure at the rarefactions. Speed of sound Sounds travels quickly, but not nearly as fast as light. The speed of sound waves depends on the medium. Sound travels fastest in solids, and slowest in gases. Sound travels more quickly through medium in which the atoms are strongly bound together. If you imagine that in a solid all the atoms are joined together by springs then the stronger the springs the faster the sound travels. The strong binding between atoms in solids means that sound will travel much more quickly through solids than through gases. The speed of sound waves in gases increase when the density of the gases decrease. When the density of the gases decrease ,the frequency of the vibrations increase ,so the speed of the sounds increase ( v = f) The speed of the sound waves also increase as the temperature the gases increase. It is because when the temperature of the gases increase the density of the gases decrease.
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The speed of sound waves in a gas not affected by changes of pressure. Typical values for speed of sound are given in the following table. Medium Air (0oC) Oxygen (0oC) Helium (0oC) Hydrogen (0oC) Water (0oC) Water (20oC) Water (50oC) Aluminium (0oC) Copper (0oC) Iron (0oC) Speed of sound waves/ ms-1 331 316 965 1284 1402 1482 1543 5100 3560 5130

Sounds above the upper hearing limit are called ultrasound. Dogs, bats and dolphins are all known to be able to hear sounds whose frequency is well above the limits of human hearing. Loudness and Pitch of sound The loudness of a sound depends on the amplitude of vibrations. As the amplitude of vibrations increase , the loudness of a sound increases.

The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency of vibrations. As the frequency of vibrations increase , the pitch of a sound increases.

The frequency spectrum of sound waves If a signal generator is connected to a loudspeaker , not all the frequencies of the sound wave is produced ca be heard by the human hear. The human hear is capable of hearing sounds with frequencies in the range of 20 Hz to 20 000 Hz. The following figure shows the frequency spectrum of sound waves:

Quality or timbre of sound The quality of sound depends on the wave form. Different musical instruments of the same pitch are distinguished from each other by their quality.

Below about 20 Hz the vibrations are felt rather than heard e.g. earth quakes and are called subsonic. We are able to hear sounds with frequencies from around 20 Hz to almost 20 000Hz.
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Sound and Noise Our ear can also tell the difference between musical sounds and noises. The waveforms produced by musical instruments are regular, whilst those produced by noises are jagged and irregular.

Medicine (1) Ultrasonic scanning in medicine involves sending ultrasound waves into the patients body and detecting the echoes which come back. This can be used , for example, to see the position of an unborn baby inside its mothers womb. The whole process is completely painless and much safer than using Xrays. (2) Sound waves of high energy are directed to the kidney stones to destroy them in the cavity of the kidney. The disintegrated particles are removed during urination by the patient. (3) Dentist use ultrasonic waves to remove plaque from the teeth. (4) Ultrasound spectacles help blind persons to estimate the distance away of something in front of them. Industry (1) Ultrasonic scanning is used to detect cracks in metal structures . This is how aircrafts parts are checked for hidden cracks which might prove dangerous later. (2) A goldsmith uses high frequency sound waves to dislodge dirt particles adhering to jewellery and precious stones. (3) Ships use echo-sounding equipment to find how deep the water is. The time interval is measured between a pulse of sound and its echo from the sea bed. If the echo-sounders measures an interval of time ,t , and the speed of sound wave in water is v, the depth , d can be calculated as follows; Distanced travelled by pulsed = speed x time 2d= v x t

Application of Sound Waves

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d=vxt 2

(4) In modern fishing trawlers, echo sounding Produces SONAR ( Sound Navigation and Ranging) is used to detect shoals of fish. The equipment can detect the reflected pulse from the shoal, and work out its position and depth (5) Geologists also use echo sounding methods to locate boundaries between rock layers far below the surface. This is useful, for example in finding places where it might worth drilling for oil. A small explosion on the surface sends a sound wave downwards into the Earth , and some of the sound is reflected from

A man stands in front of a fairly large flat wall at a distance 50 m. He claps his hands and the time for 20 intervals between claps is 12 s. What is the speed of the sound ?

Example

the boundaries between rock layers. The detector measures the time interval between the sound and the echoes. From this, the depth of the rock layers can be measured.

TUTORIAL 7
1 Which of the following is not true about the sound waves ? A B C D Is a longitudinal waves Is a mechanical waves Can travel through a vacuum Produce from the compressions and rarefactions of the air molecules

Example 1
A Sonar signal sent vertically downwards from a ship is reflected from the ocean floor and detected by a microphone on the keel 0.8 s after transmission . If speed of sound in water is 1 500 ms-1, what is the depth of the ocean?

Solution

Astronauts are in a space-ship orbiting the moon. They see an explosion on the surface of the Moon. Why can the not hear the explosion? A B C D to Explosions cannot occur in space Sound cannot travel through a vacuum Sound is reflected from the space-ship Sound travel too quickly through space affect the ear drum

Example 2
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3 A place where sound waves cannot travel would be

A B nearby C D 4

through a balloon filled with helium from one spaceship to another one from a surface ship to a submarine along a railway line

The table shows how the speed of sound varies with substances of different densities. Substanc e Air Oxygen Aluminium Iron Lead Speed of sound waves/ ms-1 330 320 5 100 5 000 1 200 Density of substance / kg m-3 1.29 1.43 2 710 7 870 11 300

Which of the following medium gives the highest speeds of sound waves? A C Vacuum Steel B Water D Air

Why putting your ear to a steel railroad track allows you to hear the approach of a train long before you can hear it in the air? A B C D The speed of sound waves travel in air greater than in the steel The speed of sound waves travel in steel greater than in air Sound cannot travel through air Sound cannot travel through steel

Which conclusion about the speed of sound can be drawn from this information? A B C D The speed increases as the density of the substances increases The speed is greater in less dense substances The speed is greater in metals than in gases The speed is greatest in the densest metal

A timekeeper for a sprint event starts the stopwatch as he sees the smoke from the pistol instead of hearing the shot. This action is taken because A sound produces echoes B light travels in a straight line C light travels faster than sound D surrounding temperature affects the speed of sound The speeds of sound in air, in steel and in water are different. Which of the following gives the speeds in increasing order? Slowest Fastest A Air B Steel C Water D Water

On what do the pitch and the loudness of a sound wave depend? Pitch Loudness A Amplitude Frequency B Frequency Amplitude C Frequency Speed D Speed Amplitude

Water Water Air Steel

Steel Air Steel Air

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10 Two notes are played on a guitar. The second is louder and has a higher pitch. The second note is A higher in amplitude and lower in frequency B higher in both amplitude in frequency C lower in amplitude and higher in frequency D lower in both amplitude and frequency

11 What would a drummer do to make the sound of a drum give a note of lower pitch? A B C D Hit the drum skin with a larger force Hit the drum skin with a smaller force Hit the drum skin nearer the edge Loosen the drum skin

played on a violin C The loudness of note Q is higher than note P D The pitch of note Q is higher than note P 14 What is the approximate range of audible frequencies for a young person? A 1 Hz - 20 Hz kHz C 20 kHz - 200 kHz 000 kHz B D 20 Hz - 20 1 000 kHz 20

12 Which of the following corresponds to the highest pitch of sound?

15 Which line on the figure best represents the range of frequencies of sound that can be heard by a healthy human car? Frequency / Hz 0.1 1 10 100 1 000 10 000 10

0000 A B C D

13 The figure shows two notes of sound waves P and Q .

16 Ahmad shouts in front of a high wall. He hears the echo of his voice 1.2 seconds later. The velocity of sound in air is 340 m s-1. What is the distance between Ahmad and the wall? A B C D E 204 m 283 m 340 m 408 m 816 m

Which of the following is true? A The quality of the note Q is better than note P B Note Q is played on a guitar and note P is
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17 The figure shows an ultrasonic waves transmitted from a boat to the seabed to determine the depth,D., of the sea. The speed of the ultrasonic waves in water is 1 500 m s-1. The echo of the waves is received 2.0 m after the transmission.

What is the value of D? A B C D E 375 m 750 m 1 500 m 3 000 m 6 000 m

(a) What is meant by echo? (b) Determine the speed of the sound waves.

18 During a thunderstorm, an observer sees a lightning flash 6 seconds later he hears the thunder. The speed of sound is 330 m s-1. How far away is the observer from the lightening? A B C D E 330 m 660 m 990 m 1 980 m 3 960 m

(c) When the distance between two high walls are increased what happen to (i) the speed of the sound waves. .. (ii) the time taken to hear the echo ..

19 A boy stands at point P between two high walls P and Q. The distance between P and T is 100 m and the distance From T and Q is 500 m. He shouts in front of the high walls. He hears the echo of his voice from the high wall P and 2.5 seconds later he hears the echo of his voice from the high wall Q.

20 The figure shows ultrasound being used to study an unborn baby.

(a) What is meant by ultrasound? .. (b) Explain how the waves is used to scan the baby?
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... .. .. (c) Why using this method to scan an unborn baby is safer than using Xrays? ... .. .. (d) Ultrasound used in medicine has a frequency which is about 100 times higher than the maximum frequency that can be heard by humans. If the speed of ultrasound in the human body is 1 500 ms-1, determine (i) the frequency that might be used for ultrasound in medicine.

(ii) the wavelength of the ultrasound in the human body.

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