CH-13.

SOUND

Sound: Sound is a form of energy that gives the sensation of hearing in our ears.
The science of sound is called acoustics.
Sound is produced by a vibrating body.
The to and fro or back and forth motion of an object from its mean position is called vibration.

Sound produced by humans:

In humans, the sound is produced by the voice box or larynx. It is at the upper end of the
windpipe. Inside the voice box, there are two ligaments called vocal cords. The vocal cords are
stretched across the voice box in such a way that it leaves a narrow slit between them for the
passage of air. When the lungs force air through the slit, the vocal cords vibrate, producing
sound. Muscles attached to the vocal chords can make the cards tight or loose. When the vocal
cords are tight and thin the type or quality of voice is different from that when they are loose and
thick. After the basic sound comes out of the vocal cords, we use our mouth, tongue, teeth, lips
and nasal cavity to articulate the sound that makes speech.

Draw fig.13.8 pg no.160

Propagation of Sound:
The vibrating object sets the particles of air that surround it into vibration. The vibrating particles
of air push the other air particles adjacent to them. This process continues and gives rise to a
sound wave. Sound waves spread in all directions from the source of sound.
Sound needs a medium to propagate:
Sound waves require a medium such as a solid, liquid or gas to travel through.
They cannot travel through a vacuum. This is because sound travels by producing a vibration
in the molecules of the medium surrounding it and there are no molecules in vacuum.

Human Ear:
The ear can be broadly classified into three parts.
a) Outer ear: The part of the outer ear that is visible to us is called pinna. The pinna collects
sound waves and directs them to the ear tube. At the end of the ear tube is the eardrum (also
called tympanum). The eardrum vibrates when sound waves strike it and transmits the sound to
the middle ear.
b) Middle ear: The middle ear is a cavity with three important ear bones. These three bones are
placed in such a way that they move when the eardrum vibrates, therefore transmits the
vibration to the inner ear.
c) Inner ear: The inner ear is connected to the middle ear through a small opening. The inner
ear is filled with fluid. When this fluid vibrates it excites tiny hair in the inner ear. These hair
transform the vibrations into electrical impulses, which are then transferred to the brain via the
auditory nerve. This is how we hear a sound.
Characteristics of an Oscillation/ a Vibration:

i) Time period:
The time taken by a vibrating body to complete one vibration is known as the time period of
vibration.
It is denoted by ‘T’.
Time period = Time taken/No.of oscillations
The SI unit of time period is second.

ii) Frequency:
The number of vibrations or oscillations made by the vibrating body in one second is known as
its frequency.
It is denoted by ‘f’
f= No. of oscillations / Time taken

The SI unit of frequency is Hz (Hertz).

iii) Amplitude:
The maximum displacement vibration or oscillation of a vibrating body from its mean position is
known as its amplitude.
The SI unit of amplitude is meter (m).

Characteristics of Sound:

i) Loudness:
It is the characteristic of sound that distinguishes a feeble sound from a loud one of the same
frequency. Loudness of a sound depends on the amplitude of the vibration or oscillation. It is
measured in decibels (dB).
Vibration or oscillation of a large amplitude produces a loud sound.
* Loudness of sound is proportional to the square of the amplitude of the vibration.

ii) Pitch:
The frequency of vibration determines the shrillness or pitch of a sound. The more the
frequency, the shriller the sound.

Example of high pitch sounds (high frequency): screaming of a child and buzzing of mosquitoes.

Example of low pitch sounds (low frequency): Roar of a lion and beating of a drum.
Audible and Inaudible Sound:
The sound which
Human ear can perceive only sounds whose frequencies lie between 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. The
sounds that fall within this range of frequencies are known as audible. Sounds which fall out of
this range are known as inaudible sound.

Infrasonic Sounds:
Sounds of frequency lower than 20 Hz are called infrasonic sounds.
Ex: Rhinoceros, whales and elephants produce sounds in infrasonic range.

Ultrasonic Sounds:
Sounds of frequency higher than 20,000 Hz are called ultrasonic sounds.
Ex: Rats, dolphins, and bats produce ultrasonic sounds.

Applications of ultrasounds:
Ultrasounds are used-
i) in medicine for diagnosing pregnancy disorders in the foetus.
ii) in the treatment of kidney stones,etc.
iii) to detect cracks in metals
iv) to test the thickness of various things.

(The topics to be marked in TB)

Noise and Music

Noise pollution

Harmful effects of noise pollution

Limits to measure noise pollution

Textual Q/A

Q1. What is the difference between noise and music? Can music become noise sometimes?
A: The sound which is unpleasant for our ears is called noise.
Music is the sound which is pleasant for our ears and has a soothing effect.
Music becomes noise sometimes when it crosses the bearable range of sound for our ears.

Q2. Lightning and thunder take place in the sky at the same time and at the same distance from
us. Lightning is seen earlier and thunder is heard later. Can you explain why?
A: Lightning and thunder take place in the sky at the same time and at the same distance from
us but lightning is seen earlier than thunder is heard because the speed of light is much greater
than that of sound so it reaches us before the sound does.

Additional Questions

Q1. What are the factors that affect the speed of sound?
A: a) Temperature: with increase of temperature the speed of the sound increases.
b) Humidity: with increase of humidity in the atmosphere the speed of sound increases.
c) Nature of the substance/material/medium: speed of sound is highest in solids, higher in
liquids and least gases.

Q2. Suppose a bell is ringing in a vacuum. Will you be able to hear the song?
A: We will not be able to hear the sound because sound cannot travel in vacuum.

Q3. Why are we able to hear the sound of a Clock clearly at night than in the day?
A: The noise level in the surroundings is quite low at night, therefore the sound of the clock
appears clearer at night than in the day.

Q4. Define:
i) Supersonic speed:
Speed of an object faster than the speed of sound is called supersonic speed.
ii) Sonic boom:
When an object passes supersonic speed, it makes a loud noise called a sonic boom.