Chapter 17: Waves II: Sound Waves Are One Example of Longitudinal Waves
Chapter 17: Waves II: Sound Waves Are One Example of Longitudinal Waves
Chapter 17: Waves II: Sound Waves Are One Example of Longitudinal Waves
Sound waves are pressure waves: Oscillations in air pressure and air density
Chapter 17: Waves II
w/o waves: Gas molecules A pressure wave coming from one side adds a
move around randomly. velocity component to all gas molecules in an area
Collide every ~100nm. which points into one specific direction. Now you
These collisions create the have more collisions where one gas molecule comes
static and homogeneous from a specific direction. This compresses the gas in
pressure. one area and pushes the neighboring gas molecules
to move into that direction and pick up a velocity
component into that direction.
Chapter 17: Waves II
w: Velocity of 'walls'
of volume element V,
V not the wave velocity!
V
Chapter 17: Waves II
This creates a pressure change inside the volume element (B:Bulk modulus):
Chapter 17: Waves II
Speed of sound:
Compressibility:
The fractional change of volume of a material for a
given pressure change.
Interference:
Two waves interfere constructively if their pressure maxima are in phase:
Phase difference:
=2N
+
Two waves interfere destructively if their pressure maxima are 180deg out of phase:
Phase difference:
=(2N+1)
+
Chapter 17: Waves II
Phasor diagrams:
Interference:
L
2 loud speakers (assume point sources) generating identical signals at a frequency f.
A microphone is measuring the amplitude of the resulting wave as a function
of its position.
The amplitude will be high when the waves interfere constructively and low when
they interfere destructively:
Chapter 17: Waves II
Example: Two point sources separated by 16m emit coherent sound waves
with =2m. The waves are generated with the same amplitude and phase.
a) b) Constructive
Example: Two point sources separated by 16m emit coherent sound waves
with =2m. The waves are generated with the same amplitude and phase.
Obviously (?):
A phase difference of happens when the length difference is 0.5
Chapter 17: Waves II
General calculation:
Individual solutions:
Chapter 17: Waves II
=kL =kL
Chapter 17: Waves II
Waves with identical frequencies but different amplitudes and initial phases:
Chapter 17: Waves II
Velocity of sound
} or amplitude of
Angular frequency (or frequency) squared
transversal velocity
squared
Chapter 17: Waves II
microphone.
some rooms have a very good acoustic:
P
I= A=4r2 Area of a sphere with radius r
4r2
Energy is still conserved, there are other areas where the waves interfere destructively
Chapter 17: Waves II
Typical examples:
Hearing threshold 0dB The log-scale is actually
leaves in the wind 10dB very good to describe sound
Conversation 60dB on a human scale.
Rock Concert 110dB Our perception of loudness
Pain threshold 120dB (intensity) is also roughly
Jet engine 130dB logarithmic.
Chapter 17: Waves II
A: 2mW/m2 C: 1mW/m2
E: 0.5mW/m2
B: 0.25mW/m2 D: 0mW/m2
Chapter 17: Waves II
B: 0.25mW/m2
destructive
Interference