PROPERTIES OF

SOUNDS
 1. Reflection of sound
Hard surfaces reflect sound.
Reflected sound is called Echo.

-Sound travels from the mouth to the wall and back to the ear.
-Sound travels twice the distance between the man and the wall.
-The time taken for sound to move from the man to the wall and back to the man
is called echo time.
 Reflection of Sound
• It is the turning back of a sound wave as it hits
a barrier
 d

- Distance travelled by sound = 2d

- Time taken for sound to travel to the wall and back = echo time
Therefore;
speed of sound = distance travelled = 2 x distance to wall
time taken echo time
Examples of Reflected Sound
Echo
• It is an example of a reflected sound
Reverberations
• Refers to the multiple reflections or
echoes in a certain place
Echo Sounding
• It is an application of sound reflection
that was used by the scientists to map
the sea floor and to determine the depth
of the ocean or sea
Speed of sound in different materials
Medium sound speed (m/s)
air (0C) 331
water 1400
gold 3240
brick 3650
wood 4000
concrete 5000
glass 5100
steel 5790
aluminum 6420
 Example:
1. A ship is 220m from a large cliff when it sounds its foghorn. The speed of sound in air =
331m/s
a. when the echo is heard on the ship, how far has the sound travelled?
2xd = 2 x 220
= 440m
b. what time delay is there before the echo is
heard? echo time = 2 x 440
d = 2x
220 = 331 = 1.33 sec
speed 331
c. the ship changes its distance from the cliff. When the echo time is 0.5sec how
far is the ship from the cliff?
2xd = speed x echo time
2xd = 331 x 0.5
2xd = 165.5m
Therefore d = 165.5 d = 82.75m
2
 Exercise
1. When the horn of the ship is sounded,
the passengers hear an echo from a cliff
after 4.0 s. How far away is the cliff?

2. A boy is stranded on an island. He shouts for help but

all he can hear in reply is the echo of his shout from the
cliff 500 m away. What is the time interval between the
boy shouting and hearing the echo?
Echo sounding
The process of using echoes of different sounds to measure
distance and time is called echo sounding.
The principle of echo sounding is used in the
following processes:
Echo-sounder: used by boats to measure the depth of
water.
Electronic-tape measure: used by surveyors to measure
distance between walls.
Radar: microwaves are used to detect the positions of aircrafts
using the principle of echo-sounding.
2. Refraction of sound
Sound waves can:
undergo refraction.
travel from one medium to another. E.g.
A person under water can hear sounds made above
the water.
Can bend or change direction
A person behind a hill can hear a gun shot from the
other side of the hill.
Refraction of Sound
• It is the change in speed of sound when it
encounters a medium of different
density
Example of Refracted Sound
Quality of sound
1. Frequency and Pitch
- The sharpness of sound is called pitch.
- Pitch is related to frequency.
- The higher the frequency, the higher the pitch.
- The human ear can hear sounds of frequencies between
20Hz and 20kHz (20 000Hz)
PITCH FREQUENCY
High Upper limit of hearing 20 000Hz
Whistle 10 000Hz
High note (soprano) 1 000Hz
Low note (bass) 100Hz
Low Drum note 20Hz
exercise
Using the wave equation, calculate the wavelengths and
complete the table below. Speed of sound in air =
330m/s
PITCH FREQUENCY WAVELENGTH

High Upper limit of hearing 20 000Hz

Whistle 10 000Hz

High note (soprano) 1 000Hz

Low note (bass) 100Hz

Low Drum note 20Hz

2. Amplitude and loudness.
- Loudness is how high or low
the sound is to the ear.
- Loudness is related to
amplitude.
- The higher the amplitude, the
louder the sound.
 A C

Which sound or sounds has/have

(a)the same pitch as A?
(b)the same loudness as A?
(c)the same pitch as B?
Ultra sound
Sounds of frequencies higher
than the highest hearing limit
of human beings (higher than
20kHz) is called ultra sound.
Sounds below 20Hz are called
Infrasound.
 Uses of Ultra-sound
Metal testing: Ultrasound is used to detect leakages in metal
pipes.
Scanning the womb:
Cleaning and breaking: ultrasound is used for cleaning surfaces of
delicate machinery. It is also used in the making of fine glass
instruments such as pipettes and burettes.
some animals e.g. bats and dolphins, use ultrasound in echo
sounding to navigate.
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