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Unit 1 Wave and Sound PDF
Unit 1 Wave and Sound PDF
Wave Motion
Wave
• Wave is a continuous transfer of disturbance from one
place to another through the vibration of the particles
of the medium about their mean position.
• A wave carries energy and momentum without
transfer of the matter. If there is no transfer of energy,
it is not a wave but an oscillation.
Waves can be classified into two types on the basis of
transfer of energy.
(i) Mechanical waves : Those waves which require
material medium for their propagation/transmission
are called mechanical waves. For example: Sound
waves, Waves on the pond of water(ripples), Waves
in an stretched string etc.
(ii) Non-mechanical waves: Those waves which do not
require material medium for their transmission are
called non- mechanical waves. For example, Light
waves, electromagnetic waves etc.
Some important terms related to wave motion:
(i) Crest: The point of maximum displacement of the particles
above the mean position is called crest.
(ii) Trough: The point of maximum displacement of the
particles below its mean position is called trough.
(iii)Amplitude: The maximum displacement of the vibrating
particles on either side(below or above) of the mean
position is called amplitude. It is denoted by ‘a’ in figure.
Its SI unit is meter.
(iv) Wavelength: The distance between any two crests or
troughs is called wavelength. OR Distance travelled in one
complete vibration.
It is denoted by 𝜆. Its SI unit is meter.
(v) Frequency (f) : The number of oscillations completed by a
particle in one second is called the frequency. It is denoted by
f. Its SI unit is Hertz.
(vi) Time Period (T): The time taken by a particle to complete
one oscillation is called time period. Or, The reciprocal of the
frequency is called time period.
1
i.e. f =
𝑇
(vii) Wave velocity: The distance travelled by a wave in
one second is called wave velocity. It is denoted by v.
𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑣𝑒
i.e. wave velocity, v =
𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛
𝜆
Or, wave velocity, v =
𝑇
= 𝜆.f
Hence, v = 𝜆.f
Types of Waves
In terms of mode of transmission, there are two types
of waves.
Resultant
wave is minimum are
wave
known as minima and the
interference is known as
destructive interference.
Interfering
Crest falls into trough and
waves
trough falls into crest
Short Questions
1. Write the difference between light waves and
sound waves.
Solution: The main difference between the light waves
and sound waves is shown in following table.
Light Waves Sound Waves
• Light waves are non • Sound waves are mechanical
mechanical waves. i.e. they waves . i.e. they require
does not require any material medium ( solid,
material medium to liquid or gas) to propagate.
propagate. • They are longitudinal waves.
• They are transverse waves. • They can not be polarized.
• They can be polarized. • Their velocity is about
• Their velocity is 3 x 10 8 m/s 332m/s in air.
in air or vacuum. • Diffraction can be achieved
• Diffraction phenomenon can easily than the light waves
not be achieved easily due due to higher wavelength.
to smaller wavelength.
2. Do sound waves undergo reflection, refraction and
polarization phenomena?
Solution: Yes, sound waves undergo reflection and refraction
phenomena. But, they does not obey polarization
phenomena. We know that, sound waves are longitudinal
waves. So, the vibration of the particles of the medium is to
and fro along the direction of the propagation of the waves.
Thus, the longitudinal wave is already polarized in the
direction of motion of the wave.
Note: The phenomenon in which the vibrations of ordinary
light waves are confined in a single plane is called polarization
of light. Only transverse waves can be polarized.
3. Write the difference between the transverse waves and
longitudinal waves.
4. Write the difference between the progressive and stationary
waves.
5.When sound travels from air to water, does the frequency of
the wave change? The wavelength? The velocity?
Solution: We know that, v = 𝜆.f , where, v = velocity of the wave,
𝜆 = wavelength of the wave and f = frequency of the wave.
Since, the frequency of the wave depends upon the
characteristics of the source and it is independent of the medium
through which it travels. Hence, the frequency of the wave always
remains constant but the wavelength and the velocity of the wave
change while sound travels from one medium to the another
medium.
6. How are stationary waves formed?
7. If you are walking the moon surface, can you hear the
cracking sound behind you? Explain.
Solution: We know that, the sound wave is a
mechanical wave i.e. it requires material medium to
propagate from one place to another. Since, there is no
atmosphere ( due to weak gravity), on the surface of
moon. So, sound energy can not travel on the surface
of moon. Therefore, we can not hear cracking sound on
the surface of moon.
8. Which types of waves propagate in liquid?
Solution: We know that, the longitudinal waves can
travel in all types of media and transverse waves can
travel mainly in solids and sometimes on the surface of
liquids.
So, longitudinal waves can travel inside the liquid.
Transverse can not travel inside the liquid because
liquid possess volume elasticity and the modulus of
rigidity is practically zero for liquids.
9. Why echo can not be heard in a small room?
Solution: The repetition of sound due to its reflection from a
distant object like hills, buildings etc. in called an echo.
If the distance between the source of sound is ‘d’ and
‘v’ be the velocity of sound then the time interval
between the original sound and its echo is
𝑑 𝑑 2𝑑 𝑑
t= + = (∵ v = )
𝑣 𝑣 𝑣 𝑡
Note: Persistence of hearing : Human brain can not
distinguish two sound which are repeated in time less
than 0.1 sec. The sensation of hearing of any sound
persists in our brain for 0.1 sec. This is called
persistence of hearing.
2𝑑 1
Since, persistence of hearing is 0.1sec, ≥
𝑣 10
𝑣
or, d ≥
10 ×2
∴ d ≥ 17.5 m
Hence, to hear an echo, the distance between speaker and
reflecting surface must be greater than 17m.
Applications of Echo:
• Distance of distant object , depth of lake, oceans etc. can
be determined.
• Sonar (Sound Navigation and Ranging) is based upon the
principle of echo. It is used to locate rocks, icebergs,
whales etc. under the surface of water.
• RADAR (Radio Detection and Ranging) is used for
navigation purposes in aircrafts.
Reverberation:
If the distance between the source of sound and the
reflecting surface is less than 17.5m, the reflected ray
reaches to the speaker within 0.1 sec after reflection.
So, the original sound is prolonged , which is known as
reverberation.
1) A wave has speed 240m/s and wavelength 3.2m. What are the frequency and
the time period of the wave?
2) A wave is represented as y = 0.25 sin(500𝑡 − 0.025𝑥)
Where, y, t and x are in cm, second and meter respectively. Calculate (i)
wavelength (ii) frequency and (iii) speed of the wave.
3) Write the equation of a progressive wave propagating along the positive x-
direction whose amplitude is 5 cm, frequency 250 Hz and velocity 500 m/s.
4) Calculate the frequency of source if the average distance between successive
minima is 1.5 cm and the speed of electromagnetic wave in air is 3 x 108 m/s.
5) Ultrasound is the name given to frequencies above the human range of
hearing, which is about 20,000Hz. Waves above this frequency can be used to
penetrate the body and to produce images by reflecting from surfaces. In a
typical ultrasound scan, the waves travel with a speed of 1500 m/s. For a good
detailed image, the wavelength should be no more than 1.0mm. What frequency
is required?
6) The speed of sound in air at 200 C is 344m/s. (a) What is the
wavelength of a sound wave with a frequency of 748 Hz, corresponding
to the note G5 on a piano? (b) What is the frequency of sound wave
with a wavelength of 0.0655 mm? ( This frequency is too high for you
to hear).