Intro and Interest

Theory

Sound waves are longitudinal waves that propagate through a medium

Prediction

Model of experiment

Equations

Experiment

Prediction vs actuall explained

Conclusion

Sound propagates in longtitudionla waves

https://www.britannica.com/science/sound-physics

Introduction
This Extended Essay in physics will focus on the sound absorption coefficient of styrofoam.
This topic was chosen due to the significance and due to personal interest in sound absorption.
This personal interest was born out of sensory issues with noise, this lead to an interest in noise
reduction which through reachers lead to the sound absorption of different materials.
PLAGERISE :::::Furthermore, Porous sound absorption materials, with the extraordinary
properties such as low cost, easy molding, and reduction in weight, are acting as ideal materials
for the controlling of noise in fields such as building and transportation [12], [13], [14].

Theory
To understand the theory behind the sound absorption coefficient, it is important to understand
basic wave theory, specifically the properties of sound waves. This means understanding that
sound waves propagate through air as a longitudinal wave. Longitudinal wave means waves in
which the medium vibrates in a direction parallel to the wave's path. Other terms such as period,
wavelength, frequency, amplitude and velocity, the basics are also needed.
When calculating the intensity of sound the decibel scale is used. Decibel is the scale used for
measuring and describing sound or loudness. It is a ratio between amounts of acoustic or
electric power or for the relative loudness of sound.(different article, brtanica) The decibel is a
scale on which the gain ratio can be stated, not a unit of gain. The gain is the ratio of two
quantities, such as VOUT and VIN, or VOUT/VIN. This ratio is represented in decibels by
multiplying its logarithm (in base 10) by 10.
For instance, the gain is 4/0.5 = 8 if VOUT = 4 V and VIN = 0.5 V.(different article) The decibel
scale is correlated to the hearing of the human ear. The hertz (Hz) is the second most often
used unit. Sound frequency is measured in hertz.
Wave diffraction around an object can happen when the amplitude is larger than the object
meaning that it can go around the object without interference. This is further discussed in the
methodology of the experiment later in this Essay.

The sound absorption coefficient is used as an indicator to measure how well a material absorbs
sound. It is known as the sound absorption coefficient (α), and it is the ratio of the sound energy
absorbed by a material (E) to the total sound energy previously dispersed and reaching the
surface of the material (E0).
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ α= Ea/Eo

This means that the energy absorbed equals the overall energy previously spread and reaching
the surface of material minus the measured energy after going through the material.
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Ea= Eo-Em

All materials have some degree of sound absorption capacity. The sound-absorbing capability
varies between materials. In general, hard, smooth, and heavy materials with dense structures
have poorer sound absorption qualities but stronger reflecting power, such as concrete or
cement. In contrast, rough, loose, and soft porous materials with interpenetrated pores on the
inside and the outside have better sound absorbing abilities but weaker reflecting abilities, such
as foam plastics like styrofoam.
When sound travels, part of it progressively diffuses and some of it weakens due to the
absorption of air molecules, which has a higher impact in open air. However, inside, sound is far
less diffused or weakened and is instead largely absorbed by the surface of materials. When a
sound wave collides with a surface, some of it is reflected, some of it travels through the
surface, and the remaining portion is absorbed by the surface material. The portion of the sound
wave that is conveyed to the material enters the pores and creates friction and viscous
resistance between the air molecules and the wall of the pores, converting a portion of the
sound energy into heat energy and being absorbed in this manner.
Materials that absorb sound have pores, fissures, or other openings that let sound waves pass
through them. Thermal loss from air molecules rubbing against the pore walls and viscous loss
from the resistance of airflow within the materials are the two ways that sound energy is lost.
These laws of energy consumption provide porous materials a wide frequency range for sound
absorption. ( different article)
The frequency of the sound being absorbed should be stated explicitly since the sound
absorption coefficient takes into account both the sound frequency and the direction of sound
incidence. The six main frequencies used are 125Hz, 250Hz, 500Hz, 1000Hz, 2000Hz, and
4000Hz. All materials have the capacity to absorb sound; the difference is that every material
has a significantly varying absorption capacity.The term "sound absorbing material" refers to a
substance whose average sound absorption coefficient for the six frequencies mentioned above
is greater than 0.2.
The two types of porous sound-absorbing materials that are most frequently employed are
sound-absorbing foam and fibrous sound-absorbing materials. While fibrous sound absorbing
materials have many channels between the manufactured fibers, which may be continuous
filaments or staple fibers, sound absorbing foams are composed of cellular structures that are
linked to one another. (Different article)

Equations
This part will focus on the equations used both to understand the theory of sound waves and the
equations used in calculations for the experiment.

Method
The setup for the experiment in this Extended Essay (EE) includes a loudspeaker linked to a
signal generator (or function generator), a decibel meter (detector) at a distance of 1 meter, and
a phone. The physfox app, which measures amplitude, is equipped with the phone. The
insulator will be placed between the speaker and the detectors; it should be placed directly in
front of the detectors without touching them.
The experiment in this Extended Essay (EE) will have the set up of a loudspeaker connected to
a signal generator (or function generator) then at a distance of 1 meter the decibel meter
(detector) and a phone is placed. The phone is equipped with the app physfox for amplitude
measurement. Between the speaker and the detectors the insulator will be positioned, it should
be positioned right in front of the detectors without touching it.
A sine wave will be produced by the generator attached to the loudspeaker; on the device, both
the amplitude and hertz may be adjusted, which is crucial for the experiment. This is significant
because, according to the theory, the experiment must use 6 different hertz, but the amplitude is
just as crucial, if not more so. This is due to wave diffraction, which makes it undesirable for the
waves to simply go around the insulator. A small amplitude will make the wave smaller and
prevent it from passing over or around the insulator. Additionally, other elements like reflection
has been eliminated. The experiment will be carried out in a large gym hall to reduce reflection,
allowing readings to be collected before the waves can be detected again.The theoretical part
describes the problem of air molecule absorption, which would arise if the experiment were to
be carried out outside. The results would be considerably impacted if the experiment were
carried out in a tiny space because of the never-ending reflection off the walls.
In this experiment, foam insulation with varied thicknesses will serve as the insulator. It means
that the experiment contains two variables that are changing, but they won't be changing
simultaneously. Every thickness will cycle through all 6 hertz levels, but the experiment's
amplitude will remain constant for each run.

The generator connected to the loud speaker will generate a sine wave, on the apparatus both
amplitude and hertz can be changed, which is very important to the experiment. This is
important because the experiment will have to have 6 different hertz as explained in the theory,
but the amplitude is just as important if not more. This is because of wave diffraction, it is
undesirable that the waves could just go around. The amplitude should be small so the wave is
smaller and can not go over or around the insulator. Other factors such as reflection are also
eliminated. Reflection is eliminated by having the experiment conducted in a big gym hall, so the
readings will be taken before the waves can be detected again. If the experiment was
conducted outside there would be an issue of absorption of air molecules, explained in the
theory section. If the experiment was conducted in a small room the reflection from the walls
would be never ending and affect the readings significantly.
The insulator in this experiment will be styrofoam, the thickness of the styrofoam will be varying.
This means that the experiment has two variables that are varying but they will not be varying at
the same time, every thickness will go through all 6 hertz levels but the amplitude in the
experiment will stay the same throughout all of the runs.
Porous sound absorption materials are composed of channels, cracks or cavities which allow
the sound waves entering the materials. Sound energy is dissipated by thermal loss caused by
the friction of air molecules with the pore walls, and viscous loss bring by the viscously of airflow
within the materials. These energy consumption principles endow porous materials with broad
frequency band for sound absorption. Generally, the commonly used porous sound absorption
materials can be classified as sound absorption foam and fibrous sound absorption materials.
Sound absorbing foams are made up of cellular structures that connected with each other, while
fibrous sound absorption materials contain lots of channels between the constructed fibers, and
these fibers may be continuous filaments or staple fibers [15].

For predicting