Chapter 6: Waves and Sound

BY:
Zahraa Zakaria 🌟

PHYS 101 Doha Alhashem 🌟

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarrah 🤍 ‫ال تنسونا من دعائكم‬
Dr. Wafa Al-Saleh 1
Ms. Samar Al-Hamad
 Chapter : Waves and Sound
At the end of this subject, students should be able to:
1. Explain what a wave is.
2. Explain what a wave medium is, and give examples of waves in different media.
3. Compare a wave pulse and a continuous wave.
4. Demonstrate both transverse and longitudinal waves on a Slinky, and give other
examples of these types of waves.
5. Compute the speed of a wave on a rope from its mass density and the tension
applied.
6. Compute the speed of sound in air given the temperature.
7. Identify wavelength and amplitude on a sketch of a continuous wave.
8. Define period and frequency and explain their relationship to each other.
6. Remember the definition of hertz (Hz).
8. Remember the equation relating the velocity, frequency, and wavelength of a
continuous wave.
9. Give concrete examples of reflection of waves.
10. Explain the consequences of the Doppler effect.
11. Explain what causes a sonic boom.
12. Explain what diffraction is, and give examples of situations where diffraction can be
observed. 2
13. Understand the interference of waves
14. Give their own explanation of what sound is.
 Waves
Definitions
A wave is a traveling disturbance consisting of vibrations that
transmit energy with no net movement of matter.

• The disturbance is frequently called an oscillation or

vibration.
• The substance through which the wave travels is called
medium.

3
 Waves
Continuous wave
The sound from a tuning fork
and the light from the Sun
are continuous waves. Continuous

Pulse wave
pulse
The sound of a bursting
balloon, a tsunami (large
ocean wave generated by an
earthquake), and the light
from a camera flash are
4
examples of wave pulses.
 Wave Types
1. Transverse wave: have
oscillations that are waves on a rope
perpendicular to the direction
of the wave travels.
Example: waves on a rope,
electromagnetic waves.

2. Longitudinal wave: have

oscillations that are along to Sound waves
the direction of the wave
travels.
Example: sound waves. 5
 Wave Types
This figure illustrates the two main types of waves.

6
 Speed of waves in string

Speed of waves in string of length l and mass m. The speed of the

waves is
Consider a string of length l and mass m. the speed of the wave
in string (or rope) is
𝑭𝑻
𝒗=
𝝆
𝑭𝑻 is Force of Tension
Where ρ Mass density which is the mass per unit length (kg/m)
m
.
l
We notice that the speed:
7
• Increases as the tension (Force) increases
• Is independent of the length
• The speed depends on the mass per length, not on the length.
 Speed of waves in string
From this we see that the speed:
• Increases as the tension increases
• The string has a greater restoring force that
attempts to straighten it out.
• Is faster for smaller strings
• The string has less mass that has to be moved by
the restoring force.
• Is independent of the length
• The speed depends on the mass per length, not on
just the length. 8
Examples
A student stretches a Slinky out on the floor to a length of 2 m.
The force needed to keep the Slinky stretched in measured and
found to be 1.2 N. The Slinky’s mass is 0.3 Kg. What is the
speed of any wave sent down the Slinky by the student?

m 0.3 kg
0.15 kg/m
l 2m

F 1.2 N
v 2.8 m/s.
0.15 kg/m 9
Examples
Ex_1: if a student acts with 100N on a string, which has 25kg/m mass density, find the speed
of the wave.
Answer:
ρ = 25/80 = 0.31
𝑻 𝟏𝟎𝟎
𝒗= = = 𝟐 𝒎/𝒔
𝝆 𝟐𝟓

Ex_2: If a 10kg string has 100m length experience a 20 N tension to generate a wave, what is
the speed of the generated waves?
Answer:

𝑻
𝒗=
𝝆
𝒎 𝟏𝟎
𝝆 = = = 𝟎. 𝟏 ,
𝒍 𝟏𝟎𝟎
𝑻 𝟐𝟎
𝒗= = 𝟎.𝟏
= 𝟏𝟒. 𝟏𝟒 𝒎/𝒔 10
𝝆
 Wave properties
Frequency

• Amplitude (A): is the maximum displacement of the wave from equilibrium

position (the zero level) in meter.
• Wavelength (𝝺): (lambda) is the distance between successive (like) points on
a wave (two successive peak or two successive valley)
• The crest of a wave is the point on the medium that exhibits the maximum
amount of positive or upward displacement from the rest position.
• The trough of a wave is the point on the medium that exhibits the maximum
amount of negative or downward displacement from the rest position.
• Frequency: of the wave is number of cycles of waves that pass a given point 11
per unit time. Unit: Hertz (Hz) (1 Hz is equivalent to 1 cycle/second.)
 Frequency
Frequency: of the wave is number of cycles of waves that
pass a given point per unit time. Unit: Hertz (Hz)
(1 Hz is equivalent to 1 cycle/second.)
𝑵𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑾𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝟏
𝒇= = Unit: Hertz (Hz)
𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝑻

Where f is frequency, T is period

Period: The period of a wave is the time for a particle on a

medium to make one complete vibrational cycle.
𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆
𝐓= 12
𝑵𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒔
Frequency

13
Examples
Ex-6: if 3600 complete waves pass a point every 10 minutes find the
frequency
𝟏𝟎×𝟔𝟎
𝑻= = 𝟎. 𝟏𝟕
𝟑𝟔𝟎𝟎
𝟏
𝒇=
𝑻
𝟏
𝒇= = 𝟓. 𝟖𝟖 𝑯𝒛
𝟎. 𝟏𝟕
Ex-7: Which wave has highest frequency and which one has the
lowest?

Example: A mechanical stopwatch rotates back and forth 10 times in

2seconds . What is the time period?
𝟐 14
𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐝 = = 0.2 s
𝟏𝟎
Examples
Ex-8: In the figure shown find the:
a. Amplitude
b. Wave length
c. Crest
d. Trough

Crest
Amplitude

Trough
15

Wave length
 Relation Between velocity and frequency
The speed of a wave, its wavelength, and its frequency
are related to each other in a simple way
𝐯 = 𝐟𝝺
Example: if the frequency is 20 Hz, find the velocity if the
wavelength is 10m?
𝐯 = 𝐟𝝺
𝐯 = 𝟐𝟎 × 𝟏𝟎 = 𝟐𝟎𝟎 𝐦/𝐬
Example: Before a concert, musicians in an orchestra tune
their instruments to the note A, which has a frequency of
440 Hz. What is the wavelength of this sound in air at
room temperature, 20Co (The speed of sound is 344
m/s)?
16
v 344 m/s
0.78 m
f 440 Hz
 Wave shapes
Wave shapes
a. Sinusoidal waves: waves which ahs the shape of sine or
cosine.

b. A complex wave is any wave that does not have a sinusoidal

shape.

17
 Wave
• There are two approaches to represent a wave.
• A wavefront is a circle representing the location of a
wave peak.
• A ray is an arrow representing the direction that a
wave segment
is traveling.

18
 1. Reflection of waves
Reflection of wave is when suddenly changes direction.
A wave is reflected whenever it reaches a boundary of its
medium. Ex: echo

19
1. Reflection of waves

20
 1. Reflection of waves
• We can use either model
(Wavefront or ray) to examine
reflection from a flat mirror.

• The point behind the mirror from

which the reflection appears to
originate is called the image.

21
 1. Reflection of waves
• For a curved surface, the reflections can be focused to a point.
• Examples include satellite dishes, radar receivers, etc.

22
 2. Diffraction of waves
Diffraction of waves occurs whenever a wave has to travel past
a barrier. As the wave travels through the opening, the outgoing
waves bend. The amount of diffraction depends on
1. The wavelength
2. The size of the hole.
When the opening is much larger than the wavelength, there is
little diffraction. The amount of diffraction increases as the
wavelength becomes more similar to the size of the opening.

23
 3. Interference of Waves
Interference occurs whenever two or more waves overlap.

24
 3. Types of interference
Types of interference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UkkKM1IkKg
1. Constructive interference: When the waves interfere to
create a larger amplitude.

2. Destructive interference. When the waves interfere to reduce

the amplitude

25
 Sound
Sound waves in air (and any fluid medium) are
longitudinal waves because particles of the medium
through which the sound is transported vibrate parallel to
the direction that the sound wave moves.

• A compression is where the medium is squeezed

together.
• A expansion is where the medium is spread apart. 26
 Sound
• Typically we represent a sound wave as a
transverse wave (even though it is not).
• A region of compression is drawn as a crest.
• A region of expansion is drawn as a trough.

27
 Speed of Sound
• The table lists the speed of sound in some common
substances:

28
 Sound waves Speed in Air
• The speed of sound in a substance depends
on:
• the mass of its constituent atoms
• the strength of the forces between the
atoms
• The speed of sound is large when:
• the atoms have small mass — they’re easier
to move, and/or
• the forces between the atoms are larger —
an atom pushes harder on its neighbor 29
 Sound waves Speed in Air
• The temperature of the air will affect the speed of the sound wave,
due to the effect of the temperature on the air density
• The speed of the sound waves in air

Where T is the temperature in Kelvin

T(Kelvin)= Co+273 Ko

The factor of 20.1 depends on the properties of air.

For other gases:
Helium: v 58.8 T.
30
Carbon dioxide:
v 15.7 T.
Examples
Ex-3: convert 20Co to kelvin
T=20+273=293K
Ex-4: find the velocity of the sound in air at 20Co?

𝒎
𝒗 = 𝟐𝟎. 𝟏 𝟐𝟗𝟑 = 𝟑𝟒𝟒. 𝟏
𝒔
Ex-5: find the ratio of the velocity of sound in air when temperature
=20Co and 0Co?
𝒎
𝐯 𝐚𝐭 𝟎𝒐 = 𝟐𝟎. 𝟏 𝟐𝟕𝟑 = 𝟑𝟑𝟐. 𝟏
𝒔
𝒗 (𝑻 = 𝟐𝟎𝒐 ) 𝟑𝟒𝟒. 𝟏
= = 𝟏. 𝟎𝟒
𝒗 (𝑻 = 𝟎𝒐 ) 𝟑𝟑𝟐. 𝟏
Example: Find the wavelength of a 20 Hz wave moves in air, if the air
temperature is 20 Co?
𝒗 𝟑𝟒𝟒. 𝟏 𝒎/𝒔
𝝺= = = 𝟏𝟕. 𝟐 𝒎 31
𝒇 𝟐𝟎
 Sound
• A waveform of a sound
wave is a graph of the
air-pressure fluctuations
causes by the sound
wave versus time.
• A pure tone is a sound
with a sinusoidal
waveform.
• A complex wave is a
sound that is not pure.
32
 Sound
• Noise is sound that has a random waveform that means It
does not have a definite wavelength or period.
• Infrasound: Sound with frequencies below our audible range.
Below about 20 Hz
• Ultrasound: Sound with frequencies above our audible
range is called.
Above about 20,000 Hz

So our hearing range from

20 Hz to 20000Hz
33
Doppler effect, Shock wave and
Sonic boom

Normal Doppler effect Shock wave Sonic boom

Sound waves

34
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmDVvGNtgMg&feature=youtu.be
 Wave for Stationary Source
The wave for stationary source ( source of wave don’t
move ) (v=0), is circles.

v=0 35
 The Doppler effect
The Doppler effect is an apparent change in a wave’s wavelength due
to relative motion between the source and receiver.
The Doppler effect is observed whenever the source of waves is
moving with respect to an observer.

𝒗 < 𝒗𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅

The crests (peaks) appear closer together in the direction of the source
motion. So the frequency increase. 36
The crests (peaks) appear farther apart in the direction opposite to the
source’s motion.
 The Doppler effect
For Example:
a police car vehicle was traveling towards you on the highway.
As the car approached with its siren blasting, the pitch of the
siren sound (a measure of the siren's frequency) was high; and
then suddenly after the car passed by, the pitch of the siren
sound was low. That was the Doppler effect - an apparent shift
in frequency for a sound wave produced by a moving source.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3RfULw7aAY

37
 A shock waves
A shock wave is a very abrupt disturbance in a medium.
A shock wave occurs whenever the speed of the source is
equal to the sound wave speed.
The medium cannot respond fast enough to propagate the
wave.
The crests essentially “pile up” in front of the source.
This build-up causes a large-amplitude pulse in front of the
source.

38
𝒗 = 𝒗𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅
A shock waves
• The airplane creates the shock wave by making the sound
waves merge together. Since it's traveling at the speed of
sound, each individual sound wave has no time to get out of
the way before the next wave comes. The waves compound
on top of each other to create one giant shock wave. If you
could listen to this wave, what you would hear is called a sonic
boom.

39

𝒗 = 𝒗𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅
Doppler effect vs Shock wave

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Zu5SGllmwc
http://www.animations.physics.unsw.edu.au/jw/shock- 40
waves.htm
 Sonic booms
Sonic booms are extremely loud sounds caused by the buildup of
sound waves.
You're most likely to hear a sonic boom from a supersonic aircraft;
that is, an aircraft traveling faster than the speed of sound.

𝒗 > 𝒗𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅
If you're standing on the ground when this aircraft passes you by, you'll
get hit with the edge of a wave front that is shaped like a cone.
This cone shape is caused by the successive spheres of sound waves
coming from the airplane. At the edge of the cone, all of the
compressions merge together to make one giant sound. When that 41
high-pressure zone hits you, you experience it as a sonic boom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o0zmafxTmE
 Application
• Echolocation is the process of using the waves reflected from
an object to determine its location. Radar and sonar are two
examples.
• Basic echolocation uses reflection only:
• A wave is emitted from a point, reflected by an object of some
kind, and detected on its return to the original point.
• The time between the emission of the wave and the detection
of the reflected wave (the round-trip time) depends on the
speed of the wave and the distance to the reflecting object.

42
 Application
• For example, if you shout at a cliff and hear the echo 1 second
later, you know that the cliff is approximately 172 meters
away.
• This is because the sound travels a total of 344 meters (172
meters each way) in 1 second (at room temperature).
• If it takes 2 seconds, the cliff is approximately 344 meters away,
and so on.

43
 Application
• Ultrasound has several uses in medicine. It is routinely
used to form images of internal organs and fetuses

44
 Application
• Recently developed acoustic surgery uses
ultrasound for tasks such as destroying tumors.
• Focused, high-intensity sound causes heating
that destroys tissue. The precision of such an
“acoustic scalpel” can exceed that of a
conventional knife.

45
 Application
• Another use of ultrasound in medicine is ultrasonic lithotripsy,
a procedure that breaks up kidney stones that have migrated
to the bladder.
• The process is called extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy
(ESWL).
• A device called a lithotripter focuses intense sound waves (outside of
the body hence the term extracorporeal) on the stones, which are
broken into tiny fragments that can then pass out of the patient’s
system.

46
 Waves
is a traveling disturbance
consisting of vibrations that
Waves transmit energy with no net
movement of matter.

Waves
1. Sound Waves Need medium to travel Longitudinal Wave

2. EM Waves Do not need medium to Transverse wave

travel, can travel in vacuum

Speed of waves in 𝒗 = 𝑭𝑻 /ρ
string ρ = (mass density) 47
ρ= mass/length
ρ=m/l (Unit= kg/m)
 Waves
Speed of Waves in Air

T= Temperature in Kalvin
T=Co+273

Wave properties

𝑭𝒓𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒄𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑵𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑾𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝟏

𝒇= = ,
𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝑻
𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐d 48
(Unit: Hz = 1/s)
T: Time period (Unit =
second)
 Waves
our hearing range from
20 Hz to 20000Hz
Wave speed 𝐯 = 𝐟𝝺

Reflection Diffraction Interference

Sound longitudinal waves

49
 Summary
Wave type Wave Wave type Wave

Wave for
stationary Shock wave
source 𝒗 = 𝒗𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅
𝒗 = 𝟎 𝒎/𝒔

Doppler
effect Sonic boom
𝒗 < 𝒗𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒗 > 𝒗𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅

50
Home work
• Two children stretch a jump rope between them and send
wave pulses back and forth on it. The rope is 3 m long, its
mass 0.5 kg and the force =40 N
• What is the mass density of the rope?

ρ= mass/length=0.5/3=0.167 kg/m

• What is the speed of the wave on the rope?

𝟒𝟎
• 𝒗= 𝑭𝑻 /ρ= 𝟎.𝟏𝟔𝟕
=15.5 m/s

51
• A 4 Hz continuous wave travels on slinky. If the wave length is
0.5 m ,what is the speed of waves on the slinky?

𝐯 = 𝐟𝝺
𝐯 = 𝟒 ∗ 𝟎. 𝟓 = 𝟐𝐦/𝐬

52
• What is the speed of sound in air at the normal boiling
temperature of water?
T=Co+273
• T=100 +273=373 K

• V=388.2 m/s

53
 • A wave traveling 80 m/s has a wavelength of 3.2 m what is the
frequency of the wave?

𝐯 = 𝐟𝝺

f= 𝐯/𝝺 =25 Hz

54
• The frequency of middle C on the piano is 261.6 Hz
• What is the wavelength of the sound with this frequency as it
is travels in air at room temperature ?T=20c

• V=344 m/s

𝐯 = 𝐟𝝺
𝐯 𝟑𝟒𝟒
𝝺= =
𝐟 𝟐𝟔𝟏.𝟔
= 1.3 m/s

55