Sound

K taM@Q\10
e o
I ~- '\
Sources of sound
Sound as a longitud ina l wave
Characteristics of a sound wave : Amplitude (Relate amplitude with loudness)
and Frequency

~l
Sound needs a medium to propagate
Reflection and Absorption of sound
Relative speed of sound in different med iums 5. I

6.
INTRODUCTION
T he sensation felt by our ears is called sound. Sound is a form of energy which makes us hear.
ot
so
We hear a variety of sounds around us in our everyday life. In the morning, we hear chirping of
th
birds on trees . In the school, we hear the sound of school bell, voices of our classmates and teachers
) In
so und of whistle of our sports teacher and sounds produced by tabla, violin and harmonium in the
mus ic room. At night, we can hear the
humming of insects and mosquitoes and
Dm ~ ~fl~V
ticking of our bedroom clock.
A bat emitts high-pitched squeaks
Sound al so helps us to co mmunicate and listens for t heir echoes when it
with one another. Witho ut so und , we hones in on to its insect prey. A bat .f I . ..,.,.'tii,f ~ /. . \
. - .-... ~r~
cannot talk to anyone on telephone or produces t he sound waves with a
frequency of upto 1,20,000 hertz ·,-~·•-• .~~[: ''7
enjoy music on a television or on a reco rd (cycles/second). This frequency is
·, ;J,

player. beyond t he human audible range

Fig. 6.1. Bat

PRODUCTION OF SOUND
Produce sound by striking a stainless steel katori or a plate at your home. Touch it gently with your
fingers or palm . Do you r fin gers or palm feel vibrations? You can also experience such feeling of
vibrations if you hold your palm against the speaker of a tape-recorder or a transistor radio.
Put your palm gently on your throat. Recite a poem in English or Hindi (or in any language). Do you
feel any vibrations while you recite the poem ?

e
fr I
conclude from the above · •.
we act1vmes that soun d is . produced when an ob.1ect VJ'brates
,(pt1 5' b k and forth rapidly) 1 h . - . . --,
J eS ac . . • n ot er word d•
(111°" d ced by v1brat1ng strings (as in . ·) s, soun IS produced by v1bratmg ob1ects. Ir may
ro u . I s1ta1 ' membra11 ( 111. bl ) . . . .
be P d vibrating s ates (as in a bicycl b II) W es as a ta a , v1bratrng air columns (as rn a
e) an . . .b e a . hen you bl . . 6
flt1r I rnn inside 1c v1 rates and a wh· I" . ow air mto a tu e, such as a pen cap, rhe
~r co u ist mg sound is produced.

, -ro demonstrate that the sound . ~

Alf11· I ' is produced by 'b .
alsrequired: A plastic rule r a vi rating body
Mate ri
procedure:
Hold t he rule r firmly on the edge of a de
1. extending about 25 centimetres over the edg: k or table
Flick the free en d of the ruler with yo u fi .
2· d. r ngers softly and
listen fo r any soun 1t makes.
Look closely at the way the ruler is mov·mg.
3.
4. NoW flick t_he free end of t he ruler hardly and listen for
any sound 1t makes.
Fig, 6,2, Flicking the ruler
s. Move the ruler back so th at it extends about 15 centimetres produces vibrations and sound
over the edge and repeat the procedure.
6. Record your observations and compare them with the
peers in your class. (Fig. 6.2).
observation: The ~ree end of the ruler moves up and down rapidly when flicked and produces
sound. The soft flick Prod uces a feeble sound wh ile the hard flick a loud sound. The longer
the free end of th e scale, the more rapid will be vibrations and shriller would be the sound.
Inference: A vibrating body produces sound .

Alm: To show that soun d is produced by vibrating bodies.

Materia lsrequired: A tab la, some small pieces of paper
Procedure: Take some sma ll pieces of paper and make small
balls of them . Now, place t hese paperballs on the membrane
of a tabla or drum. Strike t he membrane and see carefully.
What do you observe?
Observations: The paperbal ls begi n to jump and at the same
time, a sound is produ ced (Fig. 6.3 .). Fig. 6.3. Th e movement of the
pieces of pa perballs on the drum
Inference: The movement of the pieces of paperball s shows whil e produ cing sound
that the membrane of the drum vibrates and, thu s, sound is
produced.

From the above activities, it is clear chat a vibrating body produces sound. In some cases, the
vibrations are easily visible to us. But in most cases, they are so small that we cannot see them.
However, we can feel them by some means.

G
' PROPAGATION OF SOUND
We know. that soun d can travel from one place to another 111
from a v1br . b d
sound) th
· an. · D 0 you kn ow how sound
b" "b reach
ating O Y(so urce of sound) to our ears? In fac t, when an°tlJecthvi rates (and produ
th . . .
' en e air layers around it also start vibratmg m exac Y t e same way
and ces
es

. ~rh II . fi h ca.i,
sound
.
. fr
. vibrations om the vibrating body to our ears. e ro owrng gure s ows a tunin ~0 'r
C

· sound waves in air (Fig. 6.4). g rkis

vi brating and pro d ucmg
I
I
I
I
Vibration 1
~ I
1
tun ing fork

Ear

wave travels
The medium particles vibrate back and fo rth along th e direction in whi ch the
Fig. 6.4. Trans mission or Propagation of sound waves in air

actual movement
It is very important to note that in the transmission of sound through air, there is no
and forth, and
of air from sound producing body to our ear. The layers of air only vibrate back
sound wave is
transfer the sound energy from one layer to the next layer till it reaches our ears. Hence,
a longitudinal wave.

How is Sound Propagated in Air?

Let us suppose, we have a bell for a source of sound

(See Fig. 6.5). By some means the bell is made to
expand and con tract regularly, that is, each point
on the surface of the bell is made to move back and
forth , outward and inward along the radius of the
bell. As the bell expands, it pushes the air outward
resulting in rhe formation of compressions and so as
rarefaction s too all around the vibratin g bell and so
the sound travels in al l the di recti ons. That is why,
wherever you stand the sound waves reach yo ur ea r Fig. 6.5. Soun d propagates in all directions
and you hear the so und.
may be a solid
The substance through which so und travels is ca lled a medium. T he medium 1
travel in vacuuni
substance, a liquid or a gas. A medium is necessa ry for sound to travel. Can it
Let us perform an activity to know this.

G
 Air,,: To show that sound needs a medium for its propagation.-
Materials required: A glass jar, an electric bell, an air vacuum
:::,,.. Connecting
purnP· wires
procedure :_ Take a glass jar fitted with bell and place it on the
disc of an air v~cuum pump as shown in Fig. 6.6. The cork in the
rnouth of th e Jar_should be airtight. Connect the electric bell
to the electric switch through a push button. Press the button. - --- - Electric bell
You hear the bell ringing.
NoW remove the air from the jar with the help of the pump.
Again push the button. Air withdrawn

Do you hear the sound produced by the electric bell ?

Fig. 6,6, Sound needs
observation: The sound diminishes as the air is pumped out a medium to travel
and lastly no sound is heard.
Inference: Sound diminishes as the medium diminishes.
It is the same reason that you could not hear the sound on the moon. There is no atmosphere
on the moon.

Sound can Travel Through Solids,

Liquids and Gases
DttnrttmmJ IIM
In outer space. astronauts do not talk tc each other directly but
Ifa uain is very far away from us, we cannot through radios. This is because there is no air in space and so sound
hear its sound through the air. But if we waves can not travel. However, radio waves. being electromagnetic
waves, can travel through space.
bring our ear very close to the railway line,
rhen we can hear the sound of the coming
rrain even if ir is quite far away. This shows that sound can travel through the railway line which is
made of steel (a solid substance) . In fact, sound travels 15 times faster in steel (solid) than in air (gas) .
Does sound travel in liquids? We will now describe an experiment to show that sound can travel
through liquids. This acti vity shows that sound can travel through liquids. Sound travels faster in
liquids than in air.

Objective: To show that sound can travel through liquids

Materials required : A squeaky toy, a polyth ene bag
Procedure : Take a bucket and fill it with water. Now immerse a
squeaky toy kept in a polythene bag. Now squeeze it. Do you hear
sound? Now, bring your ear near the bucket and repeat the same
action .
Observatio n: You will hear the sound of the toy squea king Fig, 6.7. The experimen t
(See Fig. 6.7). to show th at sound t ravels
through liquids
Inference: Sound can rravtl rhro ugh liquids

e
We will now Jist b .
O servanons whi ch will sound
sho h some
w t at sound can travel th ro ugh gases. vibrations
concentrated
Wh en te Jephone b ll . .
h . e nngs 111 our homes, we can in one
Here rhe direction
ear Its sound even from a distance.
nd rhe Sound
s?u of telephone bell travels to us through
o, television, vibrations
air (which is a gas). The sounds of radi
chirpin g spread
mot~r cars, buses, trains, aeroplanes and
reach our out
of birds, all travel through th e air and evenly
I f:
ears. n act, most of the sounds which
we hear in air
air. Fig. 6.8. Sound can travel in gases or
our everyd ay life reac h us thro ugh

f d · mo n mat ena cc rent rem perarures is given below:

• Isat d·11re
d
Th e spee o soun 111 som e com
eria ls (Or Media)
Table 6.1: Speed of Sound in Various Mat --- --- ,,. .,. -.
-

Material Speed of sound

(or M ediu m) (or Velocity of sound)
- I
1
1. Dry Air (at 0°C) 332 m/s
(at 20°( ) I 344 m/s
2. Dry Air
(at 0°C) I 1284 m/s
3. Hydrogen I

4. Wate r (Distilled) (at 2~:c) ' 1498 n:il~ __

--- --- --
(at 0°() 1531 m/s
5. Sea -Water
(at 37°C) 1570 m/s
6. Blood
7. Copper iat 2o~C) ! 375
-
0 mis
(-at 20°c) I 5100 mis
8. Aluminium
(at 20°( ) 5130 m/s
9. Iron (or steel)
(at 20°( ) 5170 m/s
10. Gla ss Fig. 6.9. The sound of thunder takes
ever, the speed of some time to travel through the air and
The speed of sound in air is 332 mis. How reac h you afte r a flash of lightn ing
tning occurs, the flash of
Jighr is 3x I QHm/s. Therefo re, when ligh
is hea rd a littl e later.
Jighrning is seen at once, bur the sound
cres t
amplitud e wavelength (I)

TERMS REL.ATED TO
A SOUND WAVE
t
..,
C u
.::: .__ _-J...._ _--1 r-
QJ

When a sou nd wave is represented u

f f--- '--- --J~ -+r '--- ,l-- ----
.:1,

.g_
in a graph, the poinr of max imum
t '6 i -- - - - - - - - . . . j I
compression form s the crest (highes distance . . .
point) and the point of max imu m
rarefaction form s the trough (lowest poin
t.)
One osci llation

Fig. 6.10.
I
I

as its
max imu m disp lace ment of a wave on eith er side of its mea n position is known
Am plit ude: TI1e
amplitud e.
\X'aYelength: Ir is the dista~ce betwe~ n two consecutive
cofllPressions_ or rarefacttons. This distance is the
s rhe distance between two success ive crests or science
~rrie a .
· hs. It 1s denoted by the Greek letter lambda (A) .
Guru
~~
osciJlatio~: One complete to-a1~d-fro motion of an Heinrich Hertz (1857-1894)
bect/part1cle about its mean pos1t1on is known as one Hertz was a German
~ ~,plete vibration cycle or one oscillati on. scientist. He was the first
0
person to broadcast and receive radio
Time period: Time period of a wave is the time taken waves. In 1883, he began working on
by it to cornpletern1e full oscillation. It is denoted by T, electromagnetic radiation. He produce d
is easured 111 second. radio waves by using a rapidly osci llating
an d 111
elect ric spark and was able t o measure their
frequenc y: Frequency of a wave is the number of oscil- velocity and their wavelength. The unit of

and its unit is hertz or (Hz). k

lations completed by it in one second. It is denoted by f,
~ ~i
frequency, 'hertz', was named after him.

CHARACTERISTICS OF SOUND
t? What makes
\Xfhy rhe sounds of different people, animals and musical instrum ents are differen
has its own
rhese sounds di fferent? We know that vibrations produce sound. Even vibrating body
de cells us
freq uency and amplitude. The frequency tells us how fast a body vibrates and the amplitu
rhe maximum displacement of sound.
. The following
Due co the difference in frequency and amplitude, sounds have different characteristics
are rhe characteristics of sound:
(i) Loudness (ii) Piech (iii) Quality or timbre.

Loudness
one. It depends
Loudness is char characteristic of sound which distinguishes a loud sound from a faint
will be the
upon the amptirude and surface area of the vibratin g body. Greater the amplitude, louder
sound. Greater rhe surface area, greater the loudness.

Pitch
' I I
Pitch is that characteristic of sounJ which distinguishes '
\

a shrill sound from a grave Rat sound. Ir depends on the '

frequency of vibration. If the frequency of vibratio n is high,
~he sound will have a high pitch. If the frequency of vibratio n
islow, the sound will have a low pitch. For example, the voice
of a child or a woman has a higher frequency than the voice
~fa man. The drum vibrates with a low frequency. Hence,
It produces a low-pitched sound. On rhe other hand
, a
whistle has a higher frequency and, therefore, prod uces a
Fig. 6.11. Low and high-pitched sou nd
higher pitched sound rhan that of a drum (Fig. 6.11).

G
 speeu or rota .
che fan increases 1ts tion.
d as m en t u .
so un br an e of th e in st ru
ca n he ar th e increa se in the pitch of . he m em sing
In a table fan, you t
m player right en
m us t have seen a tabla or mridanga
You uc h hi gh er
. A tig ht m em br an e vibrates at a m
a hammer ed has
a lo os e on e, so ch at the so un d pr od uc
frequency th an
a hi gh er pitch. d the
la r In di an m us ic al in st ru m en t calle
Th e m os t po pu ciple yo u have
an g, as sh ow n in Fi g. 6.12, uses che prin
jal-car
ity.
learnt from chis activ
Fig, 6.12. Ja/ -tarang
at
We can conclude th The frequency in each
cup is adjusted using
of the
ne ss of a so un d de pends on am pl itu de appropriate amount
of water
- Loud
so un d wave.
un d which
h is th e sh ril ln es s or Barness of the so
- Pitc
quency.
depends up on th e fre
uish
nd Q ua lity or Tim bre by vi rt ue of w hich w e can disting
Sou at charac te ris tic
musical so un d is ch usical instruments
ali ty or timbre of a
Th e qu by tw o di ff er en t m
ed
e pi tc h and loudness pr od uc two different
between two soun ds
of che sam
us icians pr od uc e th e sa m e no te on
n two m because of
s. For example, whe ee n th e tw o no te s
or by different voice , we can easily di sting ui sh be tw
cause of
ano and harmonium ou t ev en se ei ng hi m be
instruments, like pi a person from his vo ic e w ith
r so un d qu al ity. W e can also recognize
thei
his so un d quality.

Check P1int f
ques tions:
Answer the following
us.
urces of so und around
1. Give any four so · · strumenrs:
ich vibra tes to prod uce sound in the fi0 11 owmg m
wh
2. Identify the pa n (ii i) Tuning Fork
(ii) Flut e
(i) Tabla or Dholak
(v) Violin
(iv ) Sitar
n?
amplitude of vibratio
3. What is mea nt by . .
rim e pe rio d of an oscillation ·:> Star
, e Jts u111r.
you mean by
4. What do . .r.
Sr r .
ha t m ea nt by fre quency of vibration .:> a e its u111
5. W JS
d?
characteri sti cs of so un
6. What are the main
l c de e 11 d:>
W har is m ea nr by lo udn ess of so und :.> O 11 w 1ar ,acto r do es ir
7. . . depend ? P ·
? O n wh ar fact . d s ,r
pirch OJ oe
8. Whar JS meanr by
f d
n by quali ty or ron e o so un ?
9. Whar do yo u mea

0
 1~
'ble and Inaudible So un ds
ftll dI
,e vour han ds back an d forth
as fast as possibl e. Do you hear any sound?
Jg 1fo
_ 1
· . . t
. r iris dif ficult to make yo ur ha nds vib rate more than six to seven tim es in a second. You cannod
n you g h
In /-JC ' h vib rations. Ca uess t el reason~· Th e reason is . h h ese vibrations are very slow an
t at t
hea d
r s1JC th ·
r produce sou nd at is au I e to our ear. d'b
rhe.r o no
uencies less rhatin 20 Hz (vi brations per second) are not audible to human ears. On the higher side,
freq . 00 H0 also
20 ' z (vi brations per second)
frequencies more 1an c h uman ears, th e
.tannot be heard by hu ma n ears. Therefore , rnr
. .
to 20 , 000 H z. H owever,
dibl e ran ge of frequencies 1s from 20 Hz
20,000
nds of frequencies higher than
JU .
5ome animals can hear sou
frequencies higher than 20,000
Hz. Dogs can ~so he~r sounds of
h frequency are used by crime
Hz. Some s~ecial ~hisrles of hig
hear, bu t we cannot.
branch of police, which dogs can
re than 20,000 Hz are called
\'ibrarions with frequencies mo al
gical advancement in medic
ultrasonic'. With the technolo nning shows
ras oun d is use d by the do cto rs (Fig. 6.13) as diagnostic Fig. 6.13. Ultrasound sca its mo the r
science, ult wth of a baby inside
sis of dif fer ent dis eas es. In industries, ultrasound is the gro
rool for diagno
or sheets and to test the thickness
used ro detect flaws in metal blocks
m.
of various pan s witho ut damaging the
nds.
nei the r res po nd to ult ras on ic sounds nor to infrasonic sou
• Humans can
rasoni c sounds.
ani ma ls suc h as dog , leo par d, monkey and deer can hea r ult
• Certain
able to locate any
can pro du ce sou nd s of ver y high frequency. A bat is cap
• Certain birds like bar rason ic waves from the object.
pa th du e to ref lec tio n of ult
obs tacl e or its prey in its
to locate their prey.
• Dolph ins use ult rason ic sound
ash ers . In the se machi ner s, wa ter and detergent are vibrated
in dishw
• Ultraso nic vibrati ons are used dirty utensils and
vib rat ion s. Th e vib rat ory det ergent particles vi brate aga inst
along wirh ultrason ic
clean rhem .
scles.
nic vib rat ion s are use d for reli eving pain in joints and mu
• Ultraso
by police ro direct
em ir ult ras on ic sou nd ina udible to human ears, are used
• Galron whistl es, which
crimi nals.
rhe dog squ ad ro catch hold of
ntries like
' Now-a-days in de veloped cou
U.S.A. and U. K., ultrasou nd
are use d in dry cle an ing of wo oll
vibration s
en clothes.
.
___,,. . ~
Dog

-00fH
10,.0
5-5 Vub,l
•.·:.

on s wi th fre qu en cie s less th an

The vib rati Cat Bat
20 Hz k as ,.1nr1rason·ics' · Th e El h t Hum an
are nown . I ep an Hz 40- 120 ,00 0 Hz
tarrh s1m p e 20- 10,0 00 Hz 20- 20, 000 Hz 60- 65, 000
gua kes, volcanic eru pti on s, 6.1 4. Frequency range of hea
ring in hum ans and some anim
als
lik e wh ales and fig.
/ltnduJum and som e anim als

0
elephants produce infrasonic sounds (of frequency less than 20 Hz). Infrasonic sounds (or vibr ·
cannot be heard by h b .
uman emgs.
The frequency range of hearing in humans and some animals is given in Fig. 6-14

at1ons)
"'
REFLECTION OF SOUND
When sound travels in one medium and reaches the surface of an~ther medium, it is either reflected
refracted ~r absorbed as in case of light. To understand the reflection of sound waves, let us perfor~
5.
the fo llowing experiment.
Aim: To show the refl ecti on of so und / '1J '.
Materials required: A glass container, a clock
Proced ure: Ta ke a glass container and keep a ticking clock inside it as
shown in Fig. 6.15. You cann ot hear the ticking of the clock distinctly
whi le th e mouth of th e container is closed . Now slowly remove the
lid from one en d. At a certa in angle of lift of the lid the ticking is heard
most distinctly.
Observation: Like light, sound can be made to change its direction .
The lid refl ect ed t he sound and changed its direction and the ticking Fig. 6. 15. Reflection of
cou ld be easily hea rd. sound waves
Inference: Sou nd refl ects when struck with an object.
Good and Bad Reflectors of Sound
Sound waves get reflected best from hard smooth surfaces such as metals, metal alloys, concrete and
cemented walls, and other dense materials. Good reflectors of sound produce good echos. Soft , fluffy
and porous materials such as clothes, paper, carpets, curtains, thermocol and asbestos are bad reflectors
of sound. Actually, they are good absorbers of sound.
The walls, ceilings and floors of auditoriums and cinema halls are covered with sound-absorbing
materials such as thick sound-proofing tiles, curtains and carpets. These materials help in reducing
reverberations. Music recording studios use sound absorbing materials on their wall to eliminate any
undesi red or outside sounds during recording. Even if you use cover for your own house with thick
curtains, you will be able to block the sound coming from outside.
When a person speaks to us in a closed or small room, the sound spreads in all directions. Some sound
waves reach our ears directly and some strike the wal ls. Some of these striking the walls get reflecred
and also reach our ears.
Actually in a small room, the sound that reaches us directly and the one reflected from the walls reach
our ears at about the same time.
T he refl ection of sound is utilized in the working of the devices such as megaphone, sound boards and
ear rrumpet (hearing-aid).
The reflection of sound causes echoes. So we will now discuss formation of echoes. Please note rh:H
echo is called 'pratidhvani" or 'goonj' in Hindi.
@
 0
i~
s
.11 nn''' cak ubrc rlic minimum di rance from a sound
reAecrino surface (like a wall) which is
\i '•·
1
1,or an c'cl10 .
°
i
.,.J rr
, rn
· · 1ctly onIy 1r
h . t'.,.o sounds separa teIy and d1sr11 ·c h ·
1
•· ' 1· 111 ·arcd rhar rhe hu ma n ear c1n ear t ere 1s
been csr <
· h. · al
h.i' 1· 1/] 0th of a second bet'.veen rhe rn-o. 1c1 the t'.vo sounds reach our ears wtt 111 an tnterv
,rd n
n them . Since rhe speed of sound in ai r
'inrt ,ban 1/1 0th of a scco J, we cannot distinguish bmveen
of a seco nd is:
·~•;~::: is abou t 340 mis, rhe distan ce travelled h~• sound in l ; IO
: , == speed x ri me
,1,-1ancc
;: 340 111 /s X J/ ]0 S

:: ,)4 111

more from the reflec ti ng

ht11, I·1 is 11ossi
.
bl e to hea r an echo if we are at a distan ce of 17 metres or
reverse
[.· This 1 s so beca use the sound has to travel an equal distan ce in the fo rward and the
,JirJ,1t
Jirenion,.
to measure t~e depth of sea (or
lht (orm ar ion of echoes by the reA~ction_of sound waves is used and
objects like shoals of fish, shipwrecks, subm annes, sea rocks
t1,c,. 1n ), 10 locare. the unde rwater
,!IllILIl·n icc:hcrgs 111 the sea .

SOl~AR
fo r 'Sound
Jhr word 'SONA R' stands
'\.!l'igaiion and Ranging'. Sonar is a device
iorappara 1m) wh ich is used to fi nd the depth
0f :i ~ ea or 10 in vc~riga te rhe underwater things ~

likl' shoal~ of foh, ~hi pwrecks, and enemy ~ ~ Sound

~ ~ waves
)t1 hmarin es. A shun sound signa l is sent from ~ ~
;J ihip w rhe bot tom or the sea (Fig.6. 16). After ~ ~
~~
rt'Hl'nion from the seaffoo r, rh e signal retu rns Echo ~

10 rhn hip. Kn owing rhe sreeJ of' sound

in sea- ~
11 ;11er and rh e ti me taken hy the ~oun J ~igna
l to ~
ll':lch rhe borrom anJ ret urn to ir~ ~o uru:, wi:. Fig. 6.16. M easuring the dept h of a sea by SONAR

c:111 easily determine rhe J eprh of th e ~ea.

Ba1s use rhe reflec ted sound ro a void obsracl es.

They aho make use of sound reRected by insects
10
locate rheir prey. Bars emi r high frequ ency
squeaks (sound signals of short duration) . T hey
listen ro rh e echo prod uced from obstacles or Insect
tnsecrs in their path . T he rime raken by the wh ich
Fig. 6.17. Bats make high-pitched sound s while flying
echo ro return gives them an estim ate of rhe reflect s from insect s in the form of echoes .

distance of rhe refl ecting so urce (Fig. 6.17).

 Numericals ---- ---- ---- ---- ----- --- --- ---- ---- - -- ---- ---- ---
nd
after 1.5 seco s. The speed of sound
Example 1: A man hears his own echo from a distant hill
in air is 332 mis. Find the distance of the hill from the man.
5t
Therefore, th e total di ance travelled by
Solution: Let 'x' be the distance of the hill from the man.
the sound to move forward and returning back = 2x
. d distance
Srnce, spee = .
nme
speed x time = 2x
or, 332 mis x 1.5s = 2x
332 X 1.5 m
X=
2
= 166 X 1.5 m

= 249.0 m
m of a sea. It is observed that the time
Exam ple 2: The sound is sent from a ship towards the botto
1.9 second. If the speed of
interval between the sending and receiving of the sound is
sound in water is 1440 mls, find the depth of the sea.
Solution: Given , speed of sound = 1440 mis
and, Time = 1.9 sec
sound = 2h m
Suppose the depth of sea is h m, hence distance travelled by
. d distance
Smce, spee = .
time
Therefore, distance = speed x time
mlsx l.9s
2h= 1440
2m
h = 720 x 1.9 m
= 72 X 19
= 1368 m
ds the bottom of a sea. The time
Example 3: ~ sonar transmits an ultrasonic sound signal towar
is 1.8 seconds. If the
mterval between. the tran~mitting and the receiving of sound
depth of the sea.
speed of ultrasonic sound m sea water is 1560 mls, find the
Solution: Given, speed of sound in sea water = 1560 mis.
Time taken by the sound to reach the sea bottom = 1.8 s
: . Distance travelled by the sound signal = speed x rime
= 1560 mis x 1.8 s
= 2808 m

Depth of sea = 28 08 m = 1404 m

2

0
 7
us1CAL SOUND AND NOISE
\'~l'r hear
s h
different types of sound around us. ome sounds are pleasant to our ears, w ereas some
leasanc.
uoP d e generally classified into two categones-m· · ·
Soun s ar usc1al sound and noise.

Musical Sound
· pro d uced
· al soun d 1s
· . It has regular waveforms. Music
~1u51c. al so und . by. period ·IC vi·brat10ns
. is produced
on the ear.
~)' musical msrruments like sitar, violin, drum, etc. It produces a pleasant effect

Noise
Noise is produced by
~oise is ~roduced by no~-perio_dic vibrations. It has irregular waveforms.
ear.
machines m a factory, movmg tram, etc. It produces an unpleasant effect on the
, pressure horns by
)ound produced by the traffic at a busy crossing or the screech of automobile brakes
speak together, a noise
rrucks and buses are other examples of noise. In a classroom, if all the students
is produced. Scientifically, a noise is produced by irregular vibrations.
s at a regular
Musical sound is one which produces pleasing sensation. The string of a sitar vibrate
ce musical sounds.
inrerval and produces a musical sound. Scientifically, regular vibrations produ
The differences between musical sound and noise are given in the following table:
Table 6.2: Differences between musica l sound and noise
-----,----- ----- -------
Property Musical sound - - - - - - - - + Noise
- - - - - - - - - - - - --
- - -
Pleasant sensation in hearing. An unpleasant sensation in hearing .
Effect or sensation -- - - - - - - - - ---=-- - - - + -- ~ - - - - - - - - - - = - - -
ef_o_rm ._ __
Regular wave _f?r~ ---- ---- -j_lr_re--'g=--u_la_r_w_a_v_
Waveform
Produced by regular and periodic Produced by irregular and non-periodic
Type of vibration
vibrations. vibrations. - - -
- - - - - - - + - - - - - - - - - -- - -
Produced by machines in a factory,
Examples Produced by musical instruments.
moving buses, cars and trains etc.

Has a regular shape and all the waves Its waveform is irregular or haphazard
Waveform
are alike

Musical Instruments
a musical instrument
We are familiar with different musical instrum ents. The quality of sound of
of this fact, the musical
~epends on the type of vibrations produced by the instrum ent. On the basis
instruments are mainly divided into four groups:
ng column of air inside
I. Wind instruments. In wind instrum ents, the sound is produced by vibrati
a rube (pipes).
2· String instruments. In string instrum ents, the taut (stretched) strings vibrate to and fro when
plucked (guitar) or bowed (violin).
s by striking it with
3. Percussion instruments. In percussion instrum ents, a leather membrane vibrate
ham mer or hands.
 ·
4. Reed instrume nts. I n reed mstr n air is blown
um enrs, certain metal reeds produce sound whe
through them. (harmonium , mouth organ).
· a1 ·mstrumenrs are give n in Fig. 6. 18.
T he main typ es o f music
(r-w llJiLJ1J /lJJzi
~flh\11
~~
Some string in strum ents-
Som e w ind int ruments Sitar, Veena and Violin .
-She hnai and t wo Nadaswarams. Soun is prod uced by the vibration
d
of air.
Sound is prod uced by vibrating columns of stretched strings.

~
Mou thorgan

Harm onium
Reed Instru ment s
Some Percussion inst rume nts
Used for rhyth m-M ridangam and Tabla
(a pair is used)

nts
Fig. 6.18. Different types of musical inst rume

NOISE POLLUTION
iles,
a nred , unp leasanr and very loud soun ds are called noise. T he overru nning of automob
Unw 6.19).
in auto mobi les, etc. causes noise pollution(F ig.
loud spea kers, music sys tems, pressure horn s used into the
effect due to the unwamed sound dumped
Noise pollu rion is the adve rse or unp leasanr
armosphere.

Fig. 6.19. Sour ces of Noise Pollu tion

0
 Dli\l@ [:tm,@ A sound of about 140 decibels and above can
cause noise pollu tion. Noise poll ution may
.:;!ty nf :,ouncl b n1c,b 1ircd in decibels. This scale is named
!nW11- ' cause many serious health hazards. Some of
t\l ·x. 111 , 1,,1· Cr.111,1111 Bell.
,1fr£1' ,.
these are given below:
Ir c111scs nervous tension and high blood pressure. Ir can even cause heart attacks.
I.
; . Ir 1n;iy cause partial or permanent hearing loss.
lr also causes lack of concentrati on .
.t
In view of these dangero us consequences of noise pol luri on, ir j~ very neccs.sa ry ro conrrol ir. Some of
rhc measures to prevent noise poll ution ;m : mrnrioncd a~ foll ow~:

I. Auromobiles should be httcd \\'ith ~ilc11ecr, ,111d ,nfr horn ,.

1 The use of loudspeakers in puhlic pl.ice, ,hnulJ he h.lllnnl.
5. The facto ry workers, bus or rr.1i11 dri,n,. 111eLh,rni l, , hould 1t--.· c.u pl ug,.
-1 . We should not play television. r.1d in .111d \t ncn ,, , ·rm tn I In id ly.
~ Airporrs and noise producins L1Ltu riL·, 11 r 111Llu, r1 1,, rmi,' k- , h1 tt~·J t·u .1\ ,.1:· from tht residential
1

areas of the ciry.

Approximate sound kwls o!' di1YnL·1H ,, 11111L!, .uc i,.: 1\ , ' ll k.:;,,\ 1n ! 1bl..: 1,.; 1
,

Tab le 6.3 . Ap pro, 1r11<1 tc \Ou 'lC k . ,. ) o · .I - c'e·1 : )Ou"O'>

Sound Sound level in dB

Quiet countrysid e (\Vh i) per 1 23
People talking quietly (N ormJI comt:r ) Jron) 63
Noi sy factory 100
Loud mu sic in a disco 110

Jet aircraft 130

Check P1int I ~
:uiswer the follo~ ing 4uotiom:

'), II d l, ½ c lie J I ,,.,,c, c JI , 1 ., r ... , ,he-:• '

 nd
7 t th e imp ort a nt dif fe re n ces betw een no ise and a mu sica l sou _
·S a te
mu sica l ins trum ents .
8 . Na m e three m a jo r ty p es of d · · ·
d f q
u ses of ultr aso und . che spee o sou n in air 1s
9 • Sta t e two 2 n
d Jf
·
1
nt clif f afte r a n ince rval o f - seco
l 0. An ech o is h eard fro m a d ista
e clif f.
340 m/s , calc ul a te t h e dist a n ce of rh
NA R' . d ces a sou nd and hea rs the echo afce r
the fu ll form of t h e wo rd 'SO H e pro u
11. \'v'r ite . h wall.
h ig
di sta nce of 168 mer res fro m a
12. A ma n stan ds at a
of so und in air.
l sec ond . Cal cul ate th e spe ed