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Sound

What is Sound?
• Sound consists of waves of air particles.
• Generally, sound propagates and travels through air.
• It can also be propagated through other media.
Types of Waves
• Mechanical Waves - It needs medium to propagate.
• Electromagnetic Waves- It doesn’t need medium to propagate.
• Kinds of Waves

• Characteristics of Wave
Transverse Wave
Trough is the lowest part of a transverse wave.
Crest is the highest portion of a transverse wave.
Longitudinal Wave
Wavelength is the distance from one compression to the next or between two successive compressions
in a longitudinal wave.
Frequency - If you count the number of compressions passing by a certain point in 1 second.
Period – if you count the time in 1 vibration.

Properties of Sound

1. Reflection of Sounds
• Reflection is usually described as the turning back of a wave as it hits a barrier.
• Echo is an example of a reflected sound.
• Reverberation on the other hand refers to the multiple reflections or echoes in a certain place.
• A reverberation often occurs in a small room with height, width, and length dimensions of
approximately 17 meters or less
 2. Refraction of Sound

• Refraction - described as the change in speed of sound when it encounters a medium of different
density.
-change in speed of sound during refraction is also manifested as sort of “bending” of sound
waves.

Wave Speed
• Wave speed - If you multiply the measured wavelength and the computed frequency. In equation,

v=fλ
There are other variations in the equation for the speed of the wave.
The period of the longitudinal wave is the reciprocal of its frequency.

1
T=
f
This means that the speed of the wave can be expressed as the ratio of the wavelength and the period.

λ
v=
Effect of the Phase of Matter
T

Effect of Elasticity, Phases of Matter and Density

• Generally, the bond strength between particles is strongest in solid materials and is weakest in gases.
• Thus, sound waves travel faster in solids than in liquids, and faster in liquids than in gases. While the
density of a medium also affects the speed of sound, the elastic properties have a greater influence on
wave speed.
• Among solids, the most rigid would transmit sound faster.
 Effect of Temperature
• The hotter the medium the faster the sound travels.
• Heat, just like sound, is a form of kinetic energy. At higher temperatures, particles have more energy
(kinetic) and thus, vibrate faster.
• And when particles vibrate faster, there will be more collisions per unit time.
• Sound travels at about 331 in dry air at 0º C.
• The speed of sound is dependent on temperature of the medium where an increase is observed with an
increase in temperature.
• This means that at temperatures greater than 0º C speed of sound is greater than 331 m/s by an amount
0.6 m/s/C of the temperature of the medium. In equation,
where T is the temperature of air in Celsius degree and 0.6 is a constant factor of temperature. Let’s try
it out at a room temperature of 25oCelsius.

m m/s
v=331 +0 .6 (T )
s C
Sample Problem
• What is the speed of sound in air of temperature 25oCelsius?
• Given:

• Required:

• Equation:

• Solution:

• Answer: