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CHARACTERISTICS OF SOUND Lecture-2

Loudness, pitch, and quality are characteristics of sound. Loudness depends on the amplitude and area of the vibrating body, as well as distance from the source. Pitch depends on the frequency of vibration, with higher frequencies producing higher pitches. Quality allows distinguishing between different sounds of the same loudness and pitch, such as between a piano and flute. These characteristics determine how we perceive different sounds.

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Mushtaq Ahmed
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267 views29 pages

CHARACTERISTICS OF SOUND Lecture-2

Loudness, pitch, and quality are characteristics of sound. Loudness depends on the amplitude and area of the vibrating body, as well as distance from the source. Pitch depends on the frequency of vibration, with higher frequencies producing higher pitches. Quality allows distinguishing between different sounds of the same loudness and pitch, such as between a piano and flute. These characteristics determine how we perceive different sounds.

Uploaded by

Mushtaq Ahmed
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Mushtaq Ahmed MSc Physics

CHARACTERISTIC
S OF SOUND
Loudness
■: Loudness is the characteristic of sound by
which loud and faint sounds can be
distinguished.
When we talk to our friends,
our voice is low, but when we
address a public gathering
our voice is loud
factors
.
(a) Amplitude of the vibrating body:

■The loudness of the sound varies


directly with the amplitude of the
vibrating body
The sound produced by a sitar will be loud if we pluck
its wires more violently.
Similarly, when we beat a drum forcefully, the amplitude of its
membrane increases and we hear a loud sound.
(b) Area of the vibrating body:
■The loudness of sound also depends
upon the area of the vibrating body.
Example
■Sound produced by a large drum is
louder than that by small one because
it has large vibrating area, we will hear
a louder sound.
Conclusion
We can conclude that the loudness
increases with the area of the
vibrating body and vice versa.
(c) Distance from the vibrating body:

■Loudness of sound also depends upon


the distance of the vibrating body
from the listener.
■It is caused by the decrease in
amplitude due to increase in
distance.
■Loudness also depends upon the physical
condition of the ears
■ However, there is a characteristic of sound
which does not depend upon the sensitivity
of the ear of the listener and it is called
intensity of sound.
■. A sound appears louder to a person
with sensitive ears than to a person
with defective ears.
Pitch:
■Pitch is the characteristic of sound by
which we can distinguish between a shrill
and a grave sound.
.
■It depends upon the frequency.
■ A higher pitch means a higher frequency and
vice versa.
The frequency of the voice of ladies and children
is higher than that of men. Therefore, the voice of
ladies and children is shrill and of high pitch
Quality:
■The characteristic of sound by which we
can distinguish between two sounds of
same loudness and pitch is called quality.
■While standing outside a room, we
can distinguish between the notes of
a piano and a flute being played
inside the room. This is due to the
difference in the quality of these
notes.

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