Class 9: Chapter 11 – Sound​

Sound:
Sound is a mechanical wave and needs a material medium like air,
water,steel etc. for its propagation.
How is Sound Produced?
The sound is produced when something vibrates .. The vibrating body causes the
medium (water, air, etc.) around it to vibrate thus producing sound.
Examples:​
●​ When you bang a drum, its diaphragm vibrates creating the banging sound.
●​ When we speak, the vocal cords in our larynx vibrate to create our voice.
(Vibration: “A rapid To and Fro motion of an object.”)
Propagation of Sound:
Sound requires a medium to travel and it propagates in the form of waves.
Medium: The matter or substance through which sound is transmitted is called a
medium.
WAVE
“A wave is a vibratory disturbance in a medium which carries energy from one
point to another without a direct contact between the two points
There are two ways in which a wave travels through a medium. Based on this,
there are two types of waves.
* Types of Waves:
(I)Transverse Wave: “A type of wave in which particles oscillate
perpendicular to the direction of movement of the wave.”
 Transverse waves propagate in a medium in the form of crests and troughs as
shown in fig:

Example:
●​ waves formed on the surface of still water when a drop falls on it.
●​ a tightrope when shaken.
Crest: The maximum displacement along the upward direction
Trough:The maximum displacement along the downward direction
(II)Longitudinal Wave: “A type of wave in which particles oscillate in the direction of
the movement of the wave.”

Compression - A compression is a region in a longitudinal wave where the

particles are closer together.
Rarefaction - A rarefaction is a region in a longitudinal wave where the
particles are farther apart.
 Sound waves in air are longitudinal waves. The sound propagates in the
medium as a series of compressions and rarefactions.

Example:
●​ Horizontal push to a stretched elastic rubber band or a slinky.
●​ Vibration of a spring.
Q. Explain how sound is produced by your school bell.
Ans: When the school bell vibrates, it forces the adjacent particles in air to vibrate.
This disturbance gives rise to a wave and when the bell moves(vibrate) forward, it
pushes the air in front of it, this creates a region of high pressures known as
compression. When the bell moves backwards, it creates a region of low pressure
known as rarefaction.as the bell continuous to move forward and backward, it
produces a series of compressions and rarefactions. This makes the sound of a bell
propagate through air.
TERMS RELATED TO SOUND WAVES
 ➢​Amplitude(a): The maximum displacement of the particle of the medium
from the mean position.
The SI unit of amplitude is meter(m).
➢​Wavelength (λ): The distance between two consecutive compressions (C) or
two consecutive rarefactions (R) is called the wavelength. It is denoted by
λ(lambda).It is also considered as the combined length of a compression and
an adjacent rarefaction.SI Unit: meter (m)
➢​Time Period (T): The time required to complete one vibration or wave is
called the time period of the sound wave. SI Unit: second.
Speed or velocity of wave(v): It is distance travelled by a wave per unit time.
Its SI unit is m/s.
➢​Frequency (ν): The number of vibrations or waves produced per second by
a source. The SI unit of frequency is Hertz. It is denoted by ν (nu)​
Relation between time period and frequency
T= 1/ν ,Time period is reciprocal of frequency.
Relation between velocity, wavelength and frequency
Consider a wave that has travelled a distance λ in time T.
Velocity of a wave = distance travelled /time taken
v = λ/T or v = νλ (since ν= 1/T)
Q. The frequency of a source of sound is 100 Hz. How many times does it
vibrate in a minute?
Ans. Frequency is 100 Hz. It means the source is vibrating 100 times in a second.
In a minute, i.e., in 60 seconds, it will vibrate 6000 times.
 Characteristics of a Sound Wave:
A sound wave can be distinguished from each other by the following three
characteristics.
1.Loudness
2.Pitch
3.Quality or Timbre
1.Loudness
The sensation produced in the ear, which enables us to distinguish between a loud
,and a faint sound is called loudness.
The amplitude of the wave determines the loudness or softness of sound.

2.Pitch: Pitch is that characteristic of sound which helps in differentiating between

a shrill sound from a flat or dull sound. Pitch depends on frequency (no.of waves
per second).Higher the frequency, higher the pitch.​
▪​ Timbre or Quality: The quality of sound that enables us to distinguish one

sound from another having the same pitch and loudness.

The quality of a musical sound depends on the waveform.

Intensity
The intensity of sound is defined as the amount of energy passing per unit
time per unit area.

▪​ Tone: The sound of a single frequency is called a tone.

▪​ Note: The sound which is produced due to a mixture of several frequencies

and is pleasant to listen to.

▪​ Noise: The sound which is produced due to a mixture of several frequencies

and is unpleasant to listen to.

Speed of Sound in different media: Speed of sound depends on two factors:
a) Properties of the medium through which it travels-Speed of sound decreases as it
travels from solid to gaseous state.
 b) Temperature of the medium -Speed of sound increases as temperature increases
Speed of sound in air at 0° C is 331 m/s. At 20° C, it goes to 344 m/s. At 25°
C, it reaches 346 m/s.
Reflection of Sound

Following are the laws of reflection of sound:

●​ The angle of reflection is always equal to the angle of incidence.
●​ The reflected sound, the incident sound, and the normal sound belong in the
same plane.

Echo:An echo is the phenomenon of repetition of sound of a source by reflection

from an obstacle. The sensation of sound persists in our brain for about 0.1s. This
property is called persistence of hearing. Therefore, to hear a distant echo the time
interval between the original sound and the reflected one must be at least 0.1 s​

Let the minimum distance of the obstacles from the source =d

v= speed of sound in air
t= total time taken by the sound to reach the listener after reflection.
Then, distance = speed x time
2d= v x t
We know that ​ v = d/t , 344 = d/0.1 s
⇒​ d = 344 x 0.1 = 34.4 m​
 This means that sound covers a total distance of 34.4 m to create a time difference
of 0.1s. So, the reflecting surface should be at least 17.2 m away from our ears for
us to hear the echo.
Q.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.
Ans.

Reverberation:
Persistence of sound (after the source stops producing sound) due to
repeated reflection is known as reverberation.
To reduce reverberations, sound must be absorbed as it reaches the walls and the
ceiling of a room.Sound absorbing materials like fiberboard, rough plastic, heavy
curtains and cushioned seats can be used for reverberation.
Uses of multiple reflection

1. Megaphones or Speaking tubes: Musical instruments are all designed to send

sound in a particular direction without spreading it in all directions. In these
instruments a tube followed by a conical opening reflects sounds successively to
guide most of the sound waves from the source in the forward direction.

2. Stethoscope: 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.

3. Design of concerts Halls Cinema Halls and Conference Halls: The ceilings of
these halls are curved. This enables the sound to reach all corners of the hall after
reflection from the ceiling. Sometimes, a sound board which is a curved sound
reflecting surface is placed behind the stage to spread evenly across the width of
the hall.

RANGE OF FREQUENCIES
​ The audible range of sound for human beings extends from about 20 Hz to
20000 Hz (one Hz = one cycle/s). Children under the age of five and some
animals, such as dogs can hear up to 25 kHz (1 kHz = 1000 Hz).

▪​ Infrasound: Sound of frequencies below 20 Hz is called infrasonic sound or

infrasound. * Whales, elephants, rhinoceroses communicate with infrasound. *

▪​ Ultrasound: Sound of frequencies above 20 kHz is called ultrasonic sound or

ultrasound. * Bats and moths use ultrasounds to know each other’s location. *
Applications of Ultrasound:
1.​ To clean parts of the instruments which are hard to reach: The object
is dipped in a solution of suitable cleaning material and ultrasonic waves
are passed into it. As a result of this, high-frequency waves are generated
that cause the dirt and grease to detach from the surface.
2.​ To detect cracks and flaws in metal blocks: Ultrasonic waves are
allowed to pass through the metal block and detectors are used to detect
the transmitted waves. If there is even small defect, the ultrasound gets
reflected back indicating the presence of flaw or defect.
3.​ Echocardiography: Ultrasonic waves are made to reflect from various
parts of the heart and form the image of the heart. This technique is called
echocardiography
4.​ Ultrasonography: It involves sending ultrasonic waves to various organs
(like brain, liver, kidneys) in the body and looking at the reflected or
transmitted waves. Using ultrasonography, stones in gall-bladder and
kidneys or tumors in different organs can be detected.
5.​ Ultrasound used to break small stones formed in the kidneys into finer
particles so that they can be flushed out with urine.

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