Class- IX-CBSE-Science Sound

CBSE NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Science Chapter 12

Back of Chapter Questions

1. What is sound and how is it produced?

Solution:
Sound is the vibration of particles in a medium. It is produced by vibration. When a body vibrates,
it forces the neighbouring particles of the medium to vibrate. This disturbance, when reaches the
ear, we perceive it as sound.
2. Describe with the help of a diagram, how compressions and rarefactions are produced in the air
near a source of sound

Solution:
When a vibrating object moves forward, it pushes and compresses the air in front of it, creating
a region of high pressure. This region is called a compression (C), as shown in the figure. This
compression starts to move away from the vibrating object. When the vibrating object moves
backwards, it creates a region of low pressure called rarefaction (R), as shown in the figure. As
the object moves back and forth rapidly, a series of compressions and rarefactions are created in
the air. These make the sound wave that propagates through the medium.

3. Cite an experiment to show that sound needs a material medium for its propagation.

Solution:
Take an electric bell and an airtight glass bell jar. The electric bell is suspended inside the
airtight bell jar. The bell jar is connected to a vacuum pump, as shown in the figure.

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Class- IX-CBSE-Science Sound

If you press the switch, you will be able to hear the bell. Now start the vacuum pump. When the
air in the jar is pumped out gradually, the sound becomes fainter, although the same current is
passing through the bell.
If one keeps on pumping the air out of the bell-jar, then at one point, the glass-jar will be devoid
of any air. At this moment, no sound can be heard from the ringing bell, although one can see
that the prong of the bell is still vibrating. When there is no air present inside, we can say that a
vacuum is produced. Sound cannot travel through a vacuum. This shows that sound needs a
material medium for its propagation.
4. Why is sound wave called a longitudinal wave?

Solution:
In a longitudinal wave, the vibration of the particles in the medium is along or parallel to the
direction of the wave. In a sound wave, the particles of the medium vibrate in the direction
parallel to the direction of the propagation of disturbance. Hence, a sound wave is called a
longitudinal wave.
5. Which characteristic of the sound helps you to identify your friend by his voice while sitting with
others in a dark room?

Solution:
The quality or timbre of the sound is that characteristic which enables us to distinguish one sound
from another having the same pitch and loudness. So, the sound produced by two persons may
have the same pitch and loudness, but the quality of the two sounds will be different.
6. Flash and thunder are produced simultaneously. But thunder is heard a few seconds after the flash
is seen, why?

Solution:
The speed of sound in air is approximately 331 m/s in the air which is quite less than the speed
of light which is 3 × 108 m/s. Hence, a flash is seen before we hear thunder.
7. A person has a hearing range from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. What are the typical wavelengths of sound
waves in air corresponding to these two frequencies? Take the speed of sound in air as 344 ms–1 .

Solution:
Given: The speed of sound in air = 344 m/s
For a sound wave, Speed = Wavelength × Frequency

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Class- IX-CBSE-Science Sound

v=λ×ν
(i) For, ν1 = 20 Hz
v 344
λ1 = = = 17.2 m
ν1 20
(ii) For, ν2 = 20 kHz
v 344
λ1 = = = 0.0172 m
ν1 20 × 103
Hence, for humans, the wavelength range for hearing is 0.0172 m to 17.2 m
8. Two children are at opposite ends of an aluminium rod. One strikes the end of the rod with a
stone. Find the ratio of times taken by the sound wave in air and in aluminium to reach the second
child.

Solution:
Let the length of the aluminium rod be l.
Speed of sound wave in aluminium at 25 ℃ = 6420 m s−1
𝑙𝑙
Therefore, time taken by the sound wave to reach the other end, 𝑡𝑡1 = s
6420

Speed of sound wave in air at 25 ℃ = 346 m s−1

𝑙𝑙
Therefore, time taken by the sound wave to reach the other end, 𝑡𝑡2 = s
346
𝑙𝑙
𝑡𝑡2 6420
The ratio of time taken by the sound wave in air and aluminium, 𝑡𝑡1
= 346
𝑙𝑙 = = 18.55
346
6420

9. The frequency of a source of sound is 100 Hz. How many times does it vibrate in a minute?

Solution:
Given, Frequency of sound = 100 Hz
Total time =1 min = 60 s
Number of vibrations = 100 × 60 = 6000
Hence, the source vibrates 6000 times in a minute, producing a frequency of 100 Hz.
10. Does sound follow the same laws of reflection as light does? Explain.

Solution:
Yes, the sound wave follows the same laws of reflection as the light does. The laws of reflection
of sound are as follows:
The incident sound wave, the reflected sound wave and the normal at the point of the incident,
all lie in the same plane.
The angle of incidence of the sound wave and angle of reflection of sound wave with the normal
to the reflecting surface are equal.

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Class- IX-CBSE-Science Sound

11. When a sound is reflected from a distant object, an echo is produced. Let the distance between
the reflecting surface and the source of sound production remains the same. Do you hear echo
sound on a hotter day?

Solution:
On a hotter Day, the speed of sound increases with increase in temperature. Hence, the time after
which the echo is heard decreases. If the time by the reflected sound is less than 0.1 s After the
production of the original sound, then echo is not heard. However, If the time is greater than 0.1
s, then the echo will be heard.
12. Give two practical applications of reflection of sound waves.

Solution:
The two practical application of reflection of sound waves are
The stethoscope is a medical instrument used for listening to sounds produced within the body,
chiefly in the heart or lungs. In stethoscopes, the sound of the patient’s heartbeat reaches the
doctor’s ears by multiple reflections of sound.
Generally, the ceilings of concert halls, conference halls and cinema halls are curved so that
sound after reflection reaches all corners of the hall.
13. A stone is dropped from the top of a tower 500 m high into a pond of water at the base of the
tower. When is the splash heard at the top? Given, g = 10 m s –2 and speed of sound =
340 m s−1.

Solution:
Given:
The height of tower h = 500 m
The initial velocity of the stone u = 0 m s −1

Gravitational acceleration g = 10 m s –2
Speed of sound vsound = 340 m s −1
From the second equation of motion,
1
h = ut + gt 2
2
1
⇒ 500 = 0 + × (10) × 𝑡𝑡 2
2

⇒ 𝑡𝑡 = 10 seconds
500
Now, time taken by the sound to reach the top from the base of the tower, = = 1.47 seconds
340

Therefore, the splash is heard at the top after time, 10 + 1.47 = 11.47 seconds
14. A sound wave travels at a speed of 339 m s–1. If its wavelength is 1.5 cm, what is the frequency
of the wave? Will it be audible?

Solution:
Given: Speed of sound vsound = 339 m s−1

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Class- IX-CBSE-Science Sound

Wavelength 𝜆𝜆 = 1.5 cm
For wave, speed, wavelength, and frequency of a sound wave are related as
Speed (v) = Wavelength (λ) × Frequency(ν)
Speed (v) 339
Frequency(ν) = Wavelength (λ) = = 22,600 Hz
0.015

The frequency of the given sound is more than 20,000 Hz, it is not audible.
15. What is reverberation? How can it be reduced?

Solution:
The repeated multiple reflections of sound in an enclosed space is known as reverberation.
The reverberation can be reduced by covering the ceiling and walls of the enclosed space with
sound absorbing materials, such as fibre board, acoustic tiles, thick curtains etc.
16. What is loudness of sound? What factors does it depend on?

Solution:
Loudness is a measure of the response of the ear to the sound. Even when two sounds are of equal
intensity, we may hear one as louder than the other simply because our ear detects it better.
Loudness depends upon the amplitude of vibration and sensitivity of the ear.
17. Explain how bats use ultrasound to catch a prey.

Solution:
Bats produce high-pitched ultrasonic squeaks. These high-pitched squeaks are reflected by
objects such as preys and returned to the bat’s ear. This allows a bat to know the location of his
prey.
18. How is ultrasound used for cleaning?

Solution:
Ultrasonic waves are used to clean the objects on hard to reach places like spiral tubes, etc. The
object is dipped in a cleaning solution and the ultrasonic waves are sent into the solution. These
ultrasonic waves create a scrubbing brush action within the fluid.
19. Explain the working and application of a sonar.

Solution:
The acronym SONAR stands for Sound Navigation And Ranging. SONAR is a device that uses
ultrasonic waves to measure the distance, direction and speed of underwater objects.
SONAR consists of a transmitter and a detector and is installed in a boat or a ship
The transmitter produces and transmits ultrasonic waves.
These waves travel through water and after striking the object, get reflected and are sensed by
the detector.
The detector converts the ultrasonic waves into electrical signals which are appropriately
interpreted.

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Class- IX-CBSE-Science Sound

The distance of the object that reflected the sound wave can be calculated by knowing the speed
of sound in water and the time interval between transmission and reception of the ultrasound.
20. A sonar device on a submarine sends out a signal and receives an echo 5 s later. Calculate the
speed of sound in water if the distance of the object from the submarine is 3625 m.

Solution:
Given: Time taken to hear the echo, t = 5 s
The distance of the object from the submarine, d = 3625 m
Total distance travelled by the sonar waves during the transmission and reception in water = 2d
2d (2× 3625)
The velocity of sound in water, v = = = 1450 m s−1
t 5

21. Explain how defects in a metal block can be detected using ultrasound.

Solution:
Ultrasounds can be used to detect cracks and flaws in metal blocks. The cracks or holes inside
the metal blocks, which are invisible from outside reduces the strength of the structure. Ultrasonic
waves are allowed to pass through the metal block and detectors are used to detect the transmitted
waves. If there is even a small defect, the ultrasound gets reflected back indicating the presence
of the flaw or defect, as shown in the figure.

22. Explain how the human ear works.

Solution:

The outer ear is called ‘pinna’. It collects the sound from the surroundings. The collected sound
passes through the auditory canal. At the end of the auditory canal, there is a thin membrane
called the eardrum or tympanic membrane. When compression of the medium reaches the
eardrum the pressure on the outside of the membrane increases and forces the eardrum inward.

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Class- IX-CBSE-Science Sound

Similarly, the eardrum moves outward when a rarefaction reaches it. In this way, the eardrum
vibrates. The vibrations are amplified several times by three bones (the hammer, anvil and stirrup)
in the middle ear. The middle ear transmits the amplified pressure variations received from the
sound wave to the inner ear. In the inner ear, the pressure variations are turned into electrical
signals by the cochlea. These electrical signals are sent to the brain via the auditory nerve, and
the brain interprets them as sound.
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