Chapter 10:Sound Waves

Sound Waves
• Sounds is a form of energy caused by vibration
• A vibrating object produces kinetic energy
• The kinetic energy travels in all direction,
through medium such as solids , liquids or
gases
• The particles of the medium that vibrate will
produce an alternating compression and
rarefaction called sound waves
• Sound wave that enters our ears, our brain will
interpret it as a sound
• Our surroundings are filled with a variety of
sounds
Properties of Sound Waves
Can travel
through
solids,
liquids and
Travel gases
fastest in Can be
solids ,follo reflected by
wed by other
liquids and objects
gases
Properties of
Sound Waves

Travel Can be
slower than absorbed
the speed by other
of light objects
Cannot
travel
through a
vacuum
 Air
Vacuum

Vibrating
bell Vibrating
bell

• The sound of the bell • When air is pumped out

can be heard because completely, there is no
there is a medium, medium in the bell jar
which is the air in the • The sound of the bell
bell har cannot be heard at all
• This proves that a because sound waves
medium is required for cannot travel through
the propagation of a vacuum
sound waves
 Transmission of Sound
Sound need a material or medium to travel.
a) Sound can travel through solids , liquids and gases.
b) Sound cannot transferred through a
vacuum ,because it does not have any particle.
Sound travels at different speeds in different
medium. Sound moves faster in solids because the
particles are arranged very close to each other.
Sound moves slowest in gases because the particles
are very far away from each other.
 TRANSFER OF SOUND
Speed of transfer Speed of transfer of Speed of transfer
of sound in solids sound in liquids of sound in gases

Sound is transferred very

rapidly in solids. The loose arrangement Sound waves propagate very
When the particles at one end of particles in liquid slowly in gases because the
of the solid start to vibrate, the causes sound arrangement of gas particles
vibration causes the nearby vibrations to be which are far apart from each
particles to also vibrate as the transferred less rapidly other causes a delay in
particles of solids are compared to solids. transfer of vibration
arranged very closely together
 The SI unit for the speed of sound is metre per second
(m s~1)
 The speed of sound are different in different mediums
 The speed of sound is greatest in solids, and lowest in
gases
 This is because the particles in solids are closest to
each other. Hence, kinetic energy can be transferred
from one particle to the other particles more quickly.
Medium Speed of sound (m s~1)
Air (0 C) 331
Alcohol (25 C) 1100
Water (0 C) 1400
Wood 3600
Glass 3900
Brick 4100
 Properties of Sound
• Sound can be absorbed and reflected when it
hits a surface.
• Sound energy can be reflected or absorbed by
the surface of an object.
• When sound reaches a surface of solid, sound
waves are reflected, while some are absorbed.
• Absorption of sound makes the reflected
sound weaker than the original sound.
• The intensity of the reflected sound depend
on the amount of sound energy reflected or
absorbed by the surface .When more sound
energy is reflected, the sound is louder.
• The intensity of sound reflected depends on
the nature of the surface.
• Hard even and smooth surfaces like plank,
concrete and metal are good sound reflectors.
• Surface that are soft and rough like cloth,
carpet and cushion are good sound absorbers.
 EXAMPLES OF GOOD SOUND REFLECTORS
AND ABSORBERS
Examples of good sound reflectors:

Marble Tiles Concrete Wall

Examples of good sound absorbers:

Softboard Cushion
Carpet
 Pitch and frequency of Sound
We could not see sound waves with the naked
eye but we can observe it by its waveforms
displayed on an oscilloscope.
Our ears different the sounds that are heard
because sounds have different strengths and
pitches.
Pitch is the highness or lowness of a tone or
musical note.
The higher the pitch of a sound, the higher the
frequency.
The strength or loudness of sound produced
depends on the amplitude of the sound wave,

Pitch of sound depends on the frequency of the

sound produced. Frequency is measured in the
unit of hertz (symbol : Hz ).
Loudness and amplitude of sound
 The loudness of a sound is the strength (or
intensity ) of the sound.
 The loudness of a sound depends on its
amplitude.
 The unit of measurement for loundness is
decibel (symbol :dB) .
 The louder a sound, the higher its amplitude.
 Echo
• When sound is reflected repeatedly from one
surface, an echo is produced. Echo produce two
different types of sound, the original and the
reflected sound. Both of them can be heard
separately.
• Echo occurs in enclosed places like caves ,
tunnels, halls, gorges and cinema.
• Echo cannot be heard in a small room because
the reflected sound overlaps the original sound.
• The reflected echo sounds the same as the
original sound but take some time to reach
the listener’s ears.
• When an echo is produced, we cannot hear
the sound clearly. Echo can be reduced by
putting curtains, carpets and soft cushion.
 THE DOPPLER EFFECT
 A phenomenon of the changing of pitch and
frequency of sound waves when a source of sound
moves toward or away from a listener.
 Doppler effect occur when approaching and
moving away from the sound of the motorcycle
engine, police cars or fire engines.
 The Doppler effect is the apparent change in
frequency caused by the relative movement of
sound source, the relative movement of the
observer or both.
Application of Reflection of Sound Waves
• The recorded reflections will provide a variety of information
and images that can be used in different sectors.
• There are three type of sound waves , depending on their
frequency ranges.
• Types of sound Waves:
Infrasonic--- <20Hz
Audio/Sonic---20Hz-20kHz
Ultrasonic--->20kHz
• Ultrasound cannot be heard by humans but can be heard by
animals such as bats that use it for navigation.
• Sonar is used in the shipping industry to detect underwater
objects, it can also used in medical and fisheries.
 Estimation of distance by bats
• Bats cannot see clearly in a pitch-dark cave.
• Therefore, bats emit high-frequency ultrasound
pulses of 100 kHz and then detect the echoes of
these pulses to determine locations. This
technique is called echolocation.
• Echolocation helps bats to detect the location of
their prey when hunting at night.
• Echolocation also helps bats to estimate distances
when flying to avoid any obstacles.
 Limitations of Hearing
The range of hearing is the frequency of sound that
can be detected by a hearing organ.
A person with a normal sense of hearing can detect
sonic sounds of 20Hz to 20000Hz.Infrasonic sounds
below 20Hz are too weak to be heard by our
ears.However, ultrasonic sounds over 20000Hz can
damage the eardrums and may cause deafness.
The range of hearing depends on the age and
environment of an individual:
• Children have a larger range of hearing than
adults.
• Senior citizens have a smaller range of hearing
because their eardrums are less elastic.
• Long term exposure to loud noises can affect
the range of hearing
Animals have different range of
hearing
 Ways to overcome hearing limitations
• The limitation of hearing can be overcome by
using appropriate hearing technology.
Device Function Device Function

Stethoscope Helping doctors to Hearing aid Collecting and

detect the soft sound amplifying sound
of heartbeats waves before
transmitting to the
car

Megaphone Amplifying weak Cochlear implant Detecting sounds and

sounds converting them into
electrical signals to
simulate the hearing
nerves inside the car
 Question 1
When a wave travels tnrough a medium______.

a) Particles are transferred from one place to

another
b) Energy is transferred in a periodic manner
c) Energy is transferred at a constant speed
d) None of the above statements is applicable

Answer:C
 Question 2
Bats detect the obstacles in their path by receiving
the reflected ______.
a) Infrasonic waves
b) Radio waves
c) Electro-magnetic waves
d) Ultrasonic waves

Answer : D
 Question 3
Which of the following is not a characteristic of a
musical sound?
a) Pitch
b) Wavelength
c) Quality
d) Loudness

Answer : B
 Question 4
Sound waves do not travel through?
a) Solids
b) Liquids
c) Gases
d) Vacuum

Answer : D
 Question 5
The technique used by bats to find their way or
to locate food is _______.
a) SONAR
b) RADAR
c) Echolocation
d) Flapping

Answer : C
Thank You