Ch12_ Sound

Ch12: Sound
Sound:
● It is a form of energy that creates a sensation of hearing in our ears
● It is produced due to vibrations (a rapid to and fro motion)
Propagation of Sound:
● Sound travels through mediums such as liquid, solid, or gas
● When an object vibrates, it causes the particles of the medium around it to vibrate as
well. The initially vibrating particle of the medium comes into contact with the particle
adjacent to it, causing it to vibrate too. This goes on, creating a domino effect until the
sound reaches the ears.
● This is how sound propagates/travels
● Compression: When a vibrating object oscillates forward it compresses the air in front of
it, creating a high pressure area called a compression
● Rarefaction: When that same vibrating object oscillates backwards (away from the
compressed area) it creates a region of space between itself and the compressed air.
This allows the compressed air particles to scatter in the newfound space, creating a low
pressure region, called a rarefaction
Waves:
● A wave is a disturbance that carries energy and momentum
● A sound wave is used to visualise the propagation of sound
● There are four kinds of waves:
1. Transverse waves:
The particles of the medium oscillate in a direction perpendicular to the direction
of propagation. For eg. Light waves
2. Longitudinal waves:
The particles of the medium oscillate in a direction parallel to the direction of
propagation. For eg. Sound waves
3. Mechanical waves:
Waves which require a medium to propagate. For eg. Sound waves
4. Non-mechanical waves:
Waves which do not require a medium to propagate. For eg. Light waves
Characteristics of Sound Waves:
★ Wavelength:
● A wavelength is the length of one complete oscillation, a.k.a the distance
between two consecutive crests or troughs.
● Wavelength is denoted by the greek letter lambda (λ)
● S.I. unit - metre
1. Frequency:
● The no. of oscillations or wavelengths completed per unit time is called frequency
Oscillations consist of compressions (crests) and rarefactions (troughs)
● Frequency is denoted by the greek letter nu ( )
● S.I. unit - Hertz (Hz)
● Frequency is inversely proportional to time period which means v = 1/T
★ Time period:
● Time taken to complete one oscillation (wavelength) is known as
the time period
★ Pitch:
● The way our brain interprets frequency is known as pitch
● Pitch is directly proportional to frequency
● High pitch = shrill voice
● Low pitch = deep voice
2. Amplitude:
● The magnitude of disturbance in the medium on either side of its mean value is
known as amplitude
● Amplitude is the farthest distance travelled by an oscillating particle of the
medium towards both the crest and the trough
★ Loudness/Volume:
● Volume is directly proportional to amplitude
● Loud sounds possess more energy and thus travel farther
● Loudness of a sound decreases as the sound travels
★ Timber/quality:
● It is the characteristic of sound which allows us to distinguish
between sounds which have the same pitch and loudness
● Rich quality sounds are more pleasant to the ear
★ Note:
● A note is made up of many different sound waves which comprise
different frequencies
★ Tone:
● A tone is a single sound wave made up of only one kind of
frequency
★ Music: Sound that is pleasant to the ear

★ Noise: Sound that is unpleasant to the ear
3. Speed of sound:
● Speed of sound is defined as wavelength / time period
● It’s S.I. unit is m/s (metres per second)
● V=λ/T
Derivation:
Velocity = distance / time
(Distance of a wave = wavelength)
Velocity = wavelength / time
(Time = time period)
Velocity = wavelength / time period
V=λ/T
● Speed of sound varies on the basis of:

1. Medium: Since sound propagates from particle to particle, the closer the
particles are, the faster sound will travel.
Thus, the speed of sound is:
Gases < Liquids < Solids
2. Temperature: Increase in temperature causes an increase in the kinetic
energy of the particles, which makes the vibrate faster. Thus, sound also
propagates/travels faster.
● Speed of light = 3 x 10^8 m/s
● Speed of sound in air @ 22 degrees celsius = 344 m/s
Reflection of Sound:
● Like light, sound is also reflected
● It does not need a necessarily polished surface to be reflected off of. Any obstacle works
● Sound follows the same laws of reflection as light:
1. Angle of reflection = Angle of incidence
2. The reflected ray, incident ray and normal all lie in the same plane
Echo:
● The repetition of sound due to reflection of sound is known as an echo
● The brain retains sound for 0.1s. Therefore, for a distinct echo to be heard, the sound
needs to travel from the obstacle to the ear in more than 0.1s
● Distance between obstacle and the source of sound should be:
V = s/t
Vxt=s
344 x 0.1 = s
34.4 = s
34.4/2 = s
17.2 = s
Reverberation:
● The persistence of sound due to repeated reflection
● For eg. Megaphones, Auditoriums with curved ceilings, stethoscope
Range of hearing:
● Audible range of hearing for humans is 20Hz to 20KHz (1KHz = 1000Hz)
● Some children of the age of 5 years and dogs can hear sounds up to 25KHz
● Infrasonic sounds - Below 20Hz
● Ultrasonic sounds = Above 20KHz
Uses of Ultrasonic Waves:

● Cleaning
● Sterilisation
● Finding defects
● Ultrasounds
● EchoCardiograms

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Ch12: Sound

★ Music: Sound that is pleasant to the ear

● Speed of sound varies on the basis of:

Uses of Ultrasonic Waves:

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