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Tutorial 6 - Week 11

This document contains 12 questions about sound and acoustics. It covers topics like the intensity of sounds at different decibel levels, sound levels produced by different sources, the detection of sound frequencies by moving objects, and properties of vibrating strings and ultrasonic waves.

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8 views

Tutorial 6 - Week 11

This document contains 12 questions about sound and acoustics. It covers topics like the intensity of sounds at different decibel levels, sound levels produced by different sources, the detection of sound frequencies by moving objects, and properties of vibrating strings and ultrasonic waves.

Uploaded by

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

Tutorial 6 – Week 11
Sound

1. What is the intensity of a sound at the pain level of 120 dB? Compare it to that of a whisper at
20 dB.
(𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫: 𝟏 𝐖/𝐦𝟐 , 𝟏 × 𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟎 𝐖/𝐦𝟐 )

2. What is the sound level of a sound whose intensity is 2×10-6 W/m2?


(𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫: 𝟔𝟑 𝐝𝐁)

3. If two firecrackers produce a sound level of 95 dB when fired simultaneously at a certain


place, what will be the sound level if only one is exploded?
(𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫: 𝟗𝟐 𝐝𝐁)

4. A cassette player is said to have a signal-to-noise ratio of 58 dB, whereas for a CD player it is
95 dB. What is the ratio of intensities of the signal and the background noise for each device?
(𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫: 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞 = 𝟔. 𝟑 × 𝟏𝟎𝟓 , 𝐂𝐃 = 𝟑. 𝟐 × 𝟏𝟎𝟗 )

5. A 50-dB sound wave strikes an eardrum whose area is 5×10-5 m2.


a) How much energy is absorbed by the eardrum per second?
(𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫: 𝟓 × 𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟐 𝐖)
b) At this rate, how long would it take your eardrum to receive a total energy of 1 J?
(𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫: 𝟔. 𝟑 × 𝟏𝟎𝟑 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬)

6. Expensive amplifier A is rated at 250 W, while the more modest amplifier B is rated at 40 W.
a) Estimate the sound level in decibels you would expect at a point 3.5 m from a
loudspeaker connected in turn to each amp.
(𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫: 𝐀 = 𝟏𝟐𝟐 𝐝𝐁, 𝐁 = 𝟏𝟏𝟒 𝐝𝐁)
b) Will the expensive amp sound twice as loud as the cheaper one?

7. Human beings can typically detect a difference in sound level of 2 dB. What is the ratio of the
amplitudes of two sounds whose levels differ by this amount?
(𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫: 𝟏. 𝟑)

8. What would be the sound level (in dB) of a sound wave in the air that corresponds to a
displacement amplitude of vibrating air molecules of 0.13 mm at 300 Hz?
(𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫: 𝟏𝟑𝟎 𝐝𝐁)

9. The A string on a violin has a fundamental frequency of 440 Hz. The length of the vibrating
portion is 32 cm, and it has a mass of 0.35 g. Under what tension must the string be placed?
(𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫: 𝟖𝟕 𝐍)
10. The predominant frequency of a certain fire engine’s siren is 1 550 Hz when at rest. What
frequency do you detect if you move with a speed of 30 m/s:
a) Towards the fire engine
(𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫: 𝟏 𝟔𝟗𝟎 𝐇𝐳)
b) Away from it
(𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫: 𝟏 𝟒𝟏𝟎 𝐇𝐳)

11. A bat at rest sends out ultrasonic sounds waves at 50 kHz and receives them returned from an
object moving directly away from it at 25 m/s. What is the received sound frequency?
(𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫: 𝟒. 𝟑𝟐 × 𝟏𝟎𝟒 𝐇𝐳)

12. A bat flies towards a wall at a speed of 5 m/s. As it flies, the bat emits an ultrasonic sound
wave with frequency 30 kHz. What frequency does the bat hear in the reflected wave?
(𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫: 𝟑. 𝟎𝟗 × 𝟏𝟎𝟒 𝐇𝐳)

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