CH-12 SOUND

*(Important note: You only have to write note-book work in your notebooks)
TEXTUAL EXERCISE
Practice Zone (Pages 186-187)
A. Fill in the blanks using the word given in the box:
1. hertz
2. larynx
3. ultrasonic
4. solids
5. noise

B. Match the following:

1. c
2. e
3. d
4. b
5. a

F. Answer the following questions in detail.

1. Explain with the help of a diagram how sound waves travel through air.
A. -Sound is produced by vibrating bodies.
-The vibrating bodies create a disturbance in a medium surrounding it, such as air, and the
disturbance is transmitted to our eardrums through the medium.
-When our eardrum vibrates, we hear the sound.
-These disturbances are nothing but the transfer of energy.
-Therefore, sound is a form of energy that travels through a medium.
2. Describe an activity to show how sound follows the laws of reflection.
A. -Take a hard plywood board and place it vertically on a table.
-Now, take a ticking watch or any device that makes a small audible sound and place it near
the end of one tube, with the other tube as shown.
-Try to listen to the sound.
-Change the direction of the tube with respect to the wooden board till the maximum loud
audible sound of the ticking watch is heard.
-Measure the angles ‘i’ and ‘r’.
-We observe that the two angles are equal.
-The incident wave, the reflection wave, and the normal to a point of incidence all lie in the
same plane.

3. Explain the formation of compressions and rarefactions in the air when sound
travels through it. Draw the diagram.
A. -When a vibrating body produces sound, it transfers its energy to the molecules of the
medium.
-These molecules start vibrating and transfer the energy to the molecules in their
neighborhood.
-When sound waves propagate through air, the molecules of air do not move from one
place to another, they just vibrate about a mean position.
-When the air molecules come together and form a high pressure, it is known as
compression
-When they move away from each other, it is known as rarefaction.
4. In an Olympic sports event, we see the smoke from the starter's gun before we hea
the sound. Why?
A. We see the smoke from the starter’s gun before we hear the sound because the speed of
light is more than the speed of sound.

5. How does loud noise or noise pollution affect us? Give some methods by which
noise pollution can be reduced.
A. -Noise pollution, like other types of pollution, is undesirable to us.
-They affect us and our environment.
-Loud noise disturbs and irritates us.
-Living near areas prone to a lot of traffic noise and heavy machinery can affect our brain.
This can lead to harmful effects, some of which are as follows.
a. It can reduce the concentration of a person and also lead to headaches and hearing
problems.
b. Loud noise can affect the sleep pattern and cause psychological disturbances.
c. Loud noise, over a period of time, can lead to hearing loss.
d. Recent studies have found that loud noise can affect our health in terms of stress,
and hypertension and can lead to behavioral problems.
e. Noise pollution can cause physiological effects such as an increase of heart rate and
constriction of blood vessels.
Methods by which noise pollution can be reduced:
a. Avoid loud sounds or loud music.
b. Turn off appliances such as TV and music system when not required.
c. Use of earplugs when near heavy machinery or any other high-level sound can prevent
damage to ears.
d. Machines should be lubricated and enclosed in sound-absorbing rooms to prevent noise
pollution.
e. Plant more trees around as they absorb sound.
H. Picture Talk
1. Label the following diagram of the human ear.

2. Observe the following two waveforms. Which of the two is of higher frequency and
which is of lower frequency? How many waves (number of complete waves) are there
in each? What would be the time period of each wave?

A. Wave 2 is of higher frequency and Wave 1 is of lower frequency. The time period of both
waves is 1 s.

3. Observe the following two waveforms. Which of the two waveforms indicates loud
sound? By what factor is one wave louder than the other in terms of amplitude?
A. -Wave 2 indicates louder sound.
-Amplitude refers to the distance of the maximum displacement of the particle of the
medium from its mean position.
-And, the more the amplitude, the louder the sound.
-Since the displacement is more in Wave 2, it is louder.
-The loudness of Wave 2 is twice that of the loudness of Wave 1.

NOTEBOOK WORK:

Some Common Mistakes:

1. Confusing compression and rarefaction in understanding sound waves.
2. Misinterpreting the anatomy of the human ear and its functions.
3. Mixing up concepts of noise pollution and its control measures.
4. Misunderstanding the role of a medium in sound wave propagation.
5. Failing to distinguish between amplitude, wavelength, and frequency in sound
waves.

Word Power:
1. Amplitude 6. Malleus
2. Frequency 7. Incus
3. Infrasonic 8. Stapes
4. Wavelength 9. Cochlea
5. Pinna 10. Eustachian tube

C. Define the following: (Already done in keywords)

D. Answer the following questions in one word or a sentence.
1. What is sound?
A. Sound is a form of energy that is produced by vibrating objects.
2. Arrange the following based on the order of the speed of sound in the medium,
from fastest to slowest: Air, Metal rod, Bowl of water.
A. Metal rod, Bowl of water, Air
3. Can sound travel through empty space?
A. Sound cannot travel through a vacuum and needs a medium to propagate.
4. A speaker emits the sound of frequency 'f Hz and another speaker emits sound of
frequency '20 Hz. Compare the wavelengths of the two sound waves.
A. As, Wavelength= 1/frequency, the wavelength of the speaker with frequency ‘f’ Hz is
twice the wavelength of the speaker with frequency ‘2f’ Hz.
5. What is the relation between pitch and frequency?
A. The higher the frequency of the vibrating body, the higher its pitch

E. Answer the following questions in brief.

1. How is the sound produced?
A. -Sound is a form of energy that is produced by vibrating objects.
-This vibration is what we hear.
-In humans, sound is produced by the larynx (also called the voice box).
2. What is the relation between amplitude and the loudness of sound?
A. -The term ‘amplitude’ is represented by the distance of the maximum displacement of the
particle of the medium from its mean position.
-The more the amplitude, the louder the sound.
3. What is an echo?
A. The reflection of sound waves, when some part of the sound energy reflects or bounces
back when it hits a solid wall, is called echo.
4. List two factors that affect the speed of sound.
A. Temperature, humidity, and the direction of wind.
5. What is noise?
A. -Noise is an unpleasant sound.
-It irritates us and is not gentle to our ears.
-It is irregular and does not have any rhythm.
G. Out of the box!
1. We can see other planets, such as Mars, in our solar system. If there was a
thunderstorm on Mars, would we be able to hear it from Earth?
A. -No, because sound needs matter such as air for its propagation.
-As there is a vacuum and no air is present in space, the sound of thunderstorms produced
on Mars will not reach Earth and we would not be able to hear it.
2. If an explosion were to occur, we would feel the tremors/vibrations of the ground
before hearing the sound of the explosion. Why do you think so?
A. -This is due to the reason that matter waves produced during an explosion travel faster in
solids than in the air.
-Hence, we would feel the tremors/vibrations of the ground before hearing an explosion.
Concept-Map in Notebook:

Diagrams to draw in Notebook!

Human Ear

Activity to show that

sound requires a
medium to
propagate/travel

Exit-Ticket!
Art Integration!
DIY Musical Instruments