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Chapter 18 Sound

1. Sound is produced by vibrations that create sound waves, which are longitudinal waves that need a medium to travel through and transmit energy. 2. The properties of sound waves can be observed using tools like a cathode ray oscilloscope, and the pitch and loudness of sound depends on the frequency and amplitude of the sound waves. 3. The human ear can detect sounds between 20 Hz to 20 kHz, and the speed of sound varies in different materials and temperatures but the frequency remains the same.

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Giovanni Slack
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2K views17 pages

Chapter 18 Sound

1. Sound is produced by vibrations that create sound waves, which are longitudinal waves that need a medium to travel through and transmit energy. 2. The properties of sound waves can be observed using tools like a cathode ray oscilloscope, and the pitch and loudness of sound depends on the frequency and amplitude of the sound waves. 3. The human ear can detect sounds between 20 Hz to 20 kHz, and the speed of sound varies in different materials and temperatures but the frequency remains the same.

Uploaded by

Giovanni Slack
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter

1 sound When you pluck the strings of a guitar or a


violin you can observe rapid vibrations. These
vibration energies are converted into sound

8
energy that travels to our ears.
Understanding the physics of sound production
and the characteristics of sound helps us
understand how the different frequencies and
intensities are achieved. It is also helpful for us
to understand how sound is detected by a
human ear.
Chapter 18: Sound
Sound
Sound is a form of energy and it is produced by vibrations.

Put your fingers on your throat and talk. Do you feel vibrations?

These instruments have vibrating parts that can


produce sound energy.

Chapter 18: Sound


Sound Wave Propagation
Energy from vibrating objects is transferred through the surrounding medium
in the form of sound waves.

The diagram shows how sound energy is transferred from a loudspeaker through air.

When the cone vibrates, it


displaces the air molecules
around it. The displaced air
molecules vibrate along the
same axis as the cone’s
vibration and ‘passes’ the
energy to the neighbouring air
molecules.

Sound energy is a longitudinal wave.

Chapter 18: Sound


Sound waves need a medium for transmission as compressions and
rarefactions need a material which can be stretched and compressed to form.
Sound waves cannot travel through a vacuum.

The bell-jar Experiment

Chapter 18: Sound


Visualising Sound Waves
A cathode ray oscilloscope (CRO) is used to study sound waves.
When a microphone is connected to a CRO, the sound waves that are detected
by the microphone are converted into electrical signals. These electrical signals
are then displayed in graphical form on the CRO.

Waveforms of the same


note played on different
instruments (captured
using a CRO).

Chapter 18: Sound


Pitch Loudness
depends on depends on

Frequency Amplitude

The higher the frequency, the higher the pitch.


The higher is the amplitude, the louder the sound.

Chapter 18: Sound


Chapter 18: Sound
The speed of sound in air at 0 °C is about 330 m s−1.

The speed of sound is different in different materials and states.


The speed of sound increases with temperature.
When sound travels from one medium to another, its speed and
wavelength changes but the frequency remains the same.

Chapter 18: Sound


Chapter 18: Sound
Chapter 18: Sound
Audible Range of the Human Ear

The audible frequency range of the human ear is between 20 Hz to 20 kHz.

Chapter 18: Sound


Noise Level and the Decibel Scale
Noise level is measured with a logarithmic scale called the decibel (dB) scale.

Chapter 18: Sound


Chapter 18: Sound
Reflection
Sound waves obeys the law of reflection - the angle of incidence is equal to
the angle of reflection.
A simple example of the reflection of sound is the echo. Echoes are multiple
reflections of sound on hard surfaces.
The following experiment can be used to illustrate the reflections of sound

Sound reflection can be minimised by covering the walls with sound absorbing
materials (foam, heavy curtains, fibre, etc).
Chapter 18: Sound
Refraction
The speed of sound depends on the property of the medium it is travelling in.
When sound waves travel through media with different properties, the wave
will experience a change in speed and direction (refraction).

Chapter 18: Sound


Diffraction
Sound waves can be heard around corners.

This is because sound waves spread out around corners instead of travelling
in a straight line from the sound source.

Chapter 18: Sound

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