Waves and Sound 1

Waves and Sound 1
The Nature of Waves
 A wave is a traveling disturbance and carries energy

from place to place.
 Waves can be classified into two main categories,
transverse and longitudinal waves
Transverse Wave
 In a transverse wave, the disturbance occurs
perpendicular to the direction of travel of the wave.
Longitudinal wave
 In a longitudinal wave, the disturbance occurs parallel
to the line along which the wave travels.
Periodic Wave
 A periodic wave consists of cycles or patterns that are
produced over and over again
Parameters Concerning Waves
 The amplitude of the wave is the maximum excursion
of a particle of the medium from the particle’s
undisturbed position.
 The wavelength  is the distance along the length of
the wave between two successive equivalent points,
such as two crests or two troughs.
 The period T is the time required for the wave to travel
a distance of one wavelength.
 The frequency f (in hertz) is the number of wave cycles
per second that passes an observer and is the
reciprocal of the period (in seconds):
 The speed v of a wave is related to its wavelength and

frequency according to

Example
 AM and FM radio waves are transverse waves
consisting of electric and magnetic disturbances
traveling at a speed of 3  108 m/s. A station broadcasts
an AM radio wave whose frequency is 1230  103 Hz
(1230 kHz on the dial) and an FM radio wave whose
frequency is 91.9  106 Hz (91.9 MHz on the dial). Find
the distance between adjacent crests in each wave.
Solution
 The distance between adjacent crests is the wavelength
(). Since the speed of each wave is v = 3  108 m/s and
the frequencies are known, the relation v = f can be
used to determine the wavelength

The Mathematical Description of Waves
 When a wave of amplitude A, frequency f, and
wavelength  moves in the +x direction through a
medium, the wave causes a displacement y of a particle
at position x according to

 For a wave moving in the -x direction, the expression is

The wave equation shows
the displacement y of this
particle from its
undisturbed position at
any time t as the wave
passes.
Example
A transverse periodic wave described by the expression
(where y and x are in meters and t is in seconds) is established

on a string. Which one of the following statements concerning
this wave is false?
(a) The wave is traveling in the negative x direction.

(b) The amplitude is 1.0 m.
(c) The frequency of the wave is 0.10 Hz.
(d) The wavelength of this wave is 2.0 m.
(e) The wave travels with speed 5.0 m/s.
Example
A wave has an amplitude of 0.35 m, a frequency of 1.05 × 106 Hz,

and travels in the positive x direction at the speed of light, 3.00 × 108
m/s. Which one of the following equations correctly represents this
wave?
(a) y = 0.35 sin (6.60 × 106t − 0.022x)

(b) y = 0.35 sin (286t + 1.05 × 106x)
(c) y = 0.35 sin (6.60 × 106t + 0.022x)
(d) y = 0.35 sin (1.05 × 106t + 3.00 × 108x)
(e) y = 0.35 sin (286t − 1.05 × 106x)
Check Your Understanding
A loudspeaker produces a sound wave (a periodic
longitudinal wave) that travels from air into water. The
wave frequency does not change, because the
loudspeaker producing the sound determines the
frequency. The speed of sound in air is 343 m/s, whereas
the speed in fresh water is 1482 m/s. When the sound
wave enters the water, does its wavelength
a) increase
b) decrease, or
c) remain the same?
The Nature of Sound
 Sound is a longitudinal wave that is created by a
vibrating object, such as a guitar string, the human
vocal cords
 Sound can be created or transmitted only in a
medium, such as a gas, liquid, or solid.(Mechanical
Waves)
 Each cycle of a sound wave includes one condensation
(a region of greater than normal pressure) and one
rarefaction (a region of less than normal pressure).
 A sound wave with a single frequency is called a pure
tone.
 Experiment have shown that a healthy young person
hears all sound frequencies from approximately 20 to
20 000 Hz (20 kHz)
 Frequencies less than 20 Hz are called infrasonic.
 Frequencies greater than 20 kHz are called ultrasonic
 The brain interprets the frequency detected by the ear
primarily in terms of the subjective quality known as
pitch.
 A high-pitched sound is one with a large frequency
(e.g., piccolo). A low-pitched sound is one with a small
frequency (e.g., tuba).
 The pressure amplitude of a sound wave is the
magnitude of the maximum change in pressure,
measured relative to the undisturbed pressure.
 The pressure amplitude is associated with the
subjective quality of loudness.
 The larger the pressure amplitude, the louder the
sound.
Piccolo Tuba
The Speed of Sound
 The speed of the sound wave v depends on the
material that propagates the sound
 In air at 20 C, the speed of sound is about 330 m/s,
and in water it is about 1400 m/s
 The pressure variations due to the propagating sound
are superimposed on the ambient air pressure
Sound Intensity
 The sound intensity I is defined as the sound
power P that passes perpendicularly through a
surface divided by the area A of that surface:
 The SI unit for intensity is watts per square meter

(W/m2)
Example
 In Figure shown 1210-5 W of
sound power passes
perpendicularly through the
surfaces labeled 1 and 2. These
surfaces have areas of A1 = 4 m2
and A2 = 12 m2. Determine the
sound intensity at each surface
and discuss why listener 2
hears a quieter sound than
listener 1.
Solution
 The sound intensity at each surface follows from the
intensity equation
Surface 1
Surface 2
 When a source radiates sound
uniformly in all directions and no
reflections are present, the
intensity of the sound is inversely
proportional to the square of the
distance from the source,
according to
Example
 During a fireworks display, a rocket explodes high in the
air above the observers. Assume that the sound spreads
out uniformly in all directions and that reflection from
the ground can be ignored. When the sound reaches
listener 2 in Figure, who is r2 = 640 m away from the
explosion, the sound has an intensity of I2 = 0.10 W/m2.
What is the sound intensity detected by listener 1, who is
r1 = 160 m away from the explosion?
Solution
The ratio of the sound intensities can be found using last
equation for power:
As a result
 The ear responds to an enormous range of intensities
 At 3000 Hz, the lowest intensity that the human ear
can detect is about 10-12 W/m2 (Threshold of hearing)
 The loudest tolerable sound has an intensity of about
10 -4 W/m2 (Threshold of pain)
 Sound intensities above the threshold of pain may
cause permanent damage to the eardrum
Check Your Understanding
 Some animals rely on an acute sense of hearing
for survival, and the visible parts of the ears of
such animals are often relatively large. How does
this anatomical feature help to increase the
sensitivity of the animal’s hearing to low-
intensity sounds?
 A source is emitting sound uniformly in all
directions. There are no reflections anywhere. A
flat surface faces the source. Is the sound
intensity the same at all points on the surface?
Problems
1. A wave traveling along the x axis is described
mathematically by the equation
where y is the displacement (in meters), t is in seconds,

and x is in meters. What is (a) the frequency, (b) the
wavelength, and (c) the speed of the wave?
2. A wave traveling in the +x direction has an amplitude of
0.35 m, a speed of 5.2 m/s, and a frequency of 14 Hz.
Write the equation of the wave?
3. The average sound intensity inside a busy neighborhood
restaurant is 3.2  10-5 W/m2. How much energy goes
into each ear (area = 2.1  10-3 m2) during a one-hour
meal?
4. At a distance of 3.8 m from a siren, the sound intensity
is 3.6  10-2 W/m2. Assuming that the siren radiates
sound uniformly in all directions, find the total power
radiated.

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Waves and Sound 1

The Nature of Waves

 A wave is a traveling disturbance and carries energy

 The speed v of a wave is related to its wavelength and

A transverse periodic wave described by the expression

(where y and x are in meters and t is in seconds) is established

(a) The wave is traveling in the negative x direction.

A wave has an amplitude of 0.35 m, a frequency of 1.05 × 106 Hz,

(a) y = 0.35 sin (6.60 × 106t − 0.022x)

 The SI unit for intensity is watts per square meter

where y is the displacement (in meters), t is in seconds,

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