SOUND

Sound is a form of energy.

How is sound produced?

Sound is produced by vibrating objects.
Vibration is the to and fro motion of the object.

Define medium.
The matter or substance through which sound is transmitted is called medium. The medium
can be solid, liquid or gas.

Explain the propagation of sound.

 The disturbance created by a source of sound in the medium travels through the
medium and not the particles of the medium.
 When a vibrating object like a tuning fork moves forward it pushes and compresses the
air in front of it creating a region of high pressure.
 This region of high pressure is called compression.
 When the vibrating object moves backwards it creates a region of low pressure. This
region of low pressure is called rarefaction.
 As the object moves back and forth a series of compressions and rarefactions is created
in the air. Thus the sound wave propagates in the medium in the form of compressions
and rarefactions.

Name the two types of mechanical waves.

The two types of waves are the transverse and longitudinal waves.

Distinguish transverse waves and longitudinal waves with examples.

Longitudinal waves: When the individual particles of the medium move in a direction
parallel to the direction of propagation of the disturbance it is known as longitudinal waves.
Longitudinal waves travel in the form of compressions and rarefactions.
Example: sound waves

Transverse waves: When the individual particles of the medium move in a direction
perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the disturbance it is known as transverse
waves.
Transverse waves travel in the form of crests and troughs.
Example: light wave

Define the terms amplitude, time period, frequency and wavelength.

Amplitude: The maximum displacement of the particle of the medium from its mean
position is called the amplitude. Its unit is metre (m).

Time period: The time taken by a wave to travel a distance equal to its wavelength is
called the time period of a wave. Its symbol is T. Its unit is second (s).

Frequency: The number of waves passing through a point of the medium in one second is
called the frequency of the wave. Its symbol is ν. Its unit is hertz (Hz) or s-1.

Wavelength: The distance between two consecutive compressions or rarefactions is called

the wavelength of a longitudinal wave. Its symbol is λ. Its unit is metre (m).

Speed of wave: The speed of wave in a medium is the distance travelled by the wave per
second. Its symbol is v. Its unit is m/s.
Write the main characteristics of sound
Loudness which depends upon the amplitude of sound wave. The amplitude of the sound
wave depends upon the force with which an object is made to vibrate.

Pitch which depends upon the frequency. How the brain interprets the frequency of an
emitted sound is called its pitch. The faster the vibration of the source, the higher is the
frequency and the higher is the pitch.

Quality or timbre of sound is that characteristic which enables us to distinguish one sound
from another having the same pitch and loudness.

Relation between velocity, frequency and wavelength

Since distance travelled by a wave in T second is λ

Speed = Distance travelled / time
v=λ
T
=λ.1
T
Speed = Wavelength x frequency
Intensity of sound: The amount of sound energy passing each second through unit area is
called the intensity of sound.

Speed of sound in different media: The speed of sound decreases as we go from the
solid to the gaseous state. Hence the speed of sound is the greatest in solids and the least
in gases. The speed of sound in air is about 334 m/s at 22°. The speed of sound in air is
about 331 m/s at 0°. The speed of sound increases with increase in temperature in any
medium.

Reflection of sound: The laws of reflection of sound are

(1) The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.
(2) The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal at the point of incidence all lie on the
same plane.

Echo: When sound is reflected from a tall building or a mountain we will hear the same
sound again a little later called an echo. To hear a distinct echo the time interval between
the original sound and the reflected sound must be at least 0.1s.

To calculate the minimum distance between obstacle and the source of sound

Speed of sound in air = 344 m/s

Time = 0.1 s
Total distance covered by the sound from the point of generation of sound to the obstacle
and back
Distance = velocity x time
= 344 x 0.1
= 34.4 m
Thus to hear an echo the minimum distance between the source of sound and the obstacle
must be half of the distance calculated above
Distance = 34.4
2

Distance = 17.2 m

Reverberation: A sound created in a big hall will persist by multiple reflections from the
walls until it is reduced to a value where it is no longer audible. The repeated reflection that
results in this persistence of sound is called reverberation.
To reduce this reverberation
 The roof and walls of the auditorium are generally covered with sound absorbent
materials like fibre board, rough plaster or draperies.
 The seat material are also selected on the basis of their sound absorbing properties.
Uses of multiple reflection of sound:
1. Megaphones or loudhailers, horns and trumpets are designed to send sound in a
particular direction.
2. Stethoscope is a medical instrument used for listening to sounds produced within the
body, mainly in the heart or lungs. In stethoscopes the sound of the patient’s heartbeat
reaches the doctor’s ears by multiple reflection of sound.
3. Ceilings of concert halls, conference halls and cinema halls are curved so that sound
after reflection reaches all corners of the hall.
4. Sometimes a curved soundboard may be placed behind the stage so that the sound,
after reflecting from the sound board, spreads evenly across the width of the hall.