C L A S S V I I I

SOUN D
Introduction
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Sound is pro
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Soun
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 Characteristics of
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 Loudness and pitc
Recap
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INTRODUCTION :
Sound plays an important role in our life. It is through sound we
know that a period in school is over or if someone is
approaching you by just listening to the footsteps. Vibrating
objects produce sound. Vibration is the to and fro or back and
forth movement of an object. Sound needs a medium to travel.
Hence, it cannot travel in a vacuum.
SOUND IS PRODUCED BY VIBRATING BODY
The sound is produced by vibrating objects.
• They travel from one place to another in the form of waves.
Hence, the name sound waves.
• We hear sound through our ears.
• The eardrums of our ears sense the vibrations produced by a
vibrating object and send them to the brain as the stimulus.
This process is called a hearing.
• Amplitude: The maximum distance to which a vibrating body moves on
either side of its mean position is called the amplitude of vibration.

• The loudness of Sound: Larger the amplitude of vibration, louder is the

sound.

• Pitch of the Sound: Higher the frequency of vibration, the higher is the
pitch, or shrill of the sound.

• Shrillness: The frequency determines the shrillness or pitch of a sound. If

the frequency of vibration is higher we can say that sound is shrill.
• Oscillation motion: The to and fro motion of an object is called
oscillation motion.
• Frequency: The number of oscillations or vibrations per second is
called the frequency of oscillation.
• Hertz: The frequency is expressed in hertz (Hz).
• Audible Frequencies: For human ears, the range of audible frequencies
is roughly from 20 to 20,000 Hz.
Time Period: The time taken by a pendulum to
complete one oscillation is called the time
period.
•Vibration: The to and fro or back and forth
motion of an object is termed as vibration.
SOUND NEEDS A MEDIUM TO PROPAGATE
The traveling of sound is called propagation of sound. Sound cannot
propagate in the absence of a medium. The place where there is no air
or air is removed, is called vacuum. Sound does not propagate (travels)
through vacuum.
Sound travels through solid, liquid and gas.
We usually hear sound which comes to us through air.
Aquatic animals communicate as sound travels through water also.
• We hear the sound through ear
 CHARACTERISTICS OF SOUND
We can recognize most of the sounds without
seeing the objects that produce them. This is
because all those sounds are different from each
other. Have you ever thought what factors make
each sound different?
 LOUDNESS AND PITCH

The factors which make sounds different from each other are called characteristics
of sound. Let us study about them further. If you strike a drum softly, it produces
a soft sound. If you strike it hard, its skin vibrates with greater amplitude and a
louder sound is produced. This shows that loudness of the sound produced by a
vibrating object depends on the amplitude of vibration. Loudness is proportional
to the square of the amplitude. This means that if the amplitude is doubled, the
loudness increases four times.
The shrillness of sound, called its pitch,
depends on the frequency of vibration. The
higher the frequency, the more shrill is the
sound. A shrill sound is said to have a higher
pitch than a dull sound.
• A woman's voice generally has a higher pitch than a man's
voice.
• This is because the frequency of a woman's voice is higher.
• The thinner wires of a guitar or sitar give out sound of higher
pitch than the thicker wires. The thin wires vibrate with greater
frequency than the thick wires. Also a guitar wire vibrates with
higher frequency if tightened further.
• This is true for the skin of a tabla also. If you tighten the skin, it
produces sound of higher pitch.
Thus, the quality of a sound is
determined by the frequencies
present in it and their relative
loudness.
 RECAP

1. The audibility range of human ear is ______________________

2. The time taken by a pendulum to complete one oscillation is called the
____________.
3. Loudness is proportional to the ________ of the amplitude.
4. Sound does not propagate (travels) through_______________.
5. A woman's voice generally has a ___________ pitch than a man's voice.
6. Define : Frequency & Amplitude.