The amplitude of a wave depends on the amplitude of the
vibration at the source:
the more work done to displace the medium at the
source, the more energy the wave will carry.
The rate at which energy which is transported past a given area of the medium is called the intensity of the sound wave: Energy Intensity= Area×Time
Power And since energy/time = power: Intensity= (The units of intensity are W/m2.) Area
So as a wave carries its energy through a 3D medium, the
intensity of the wave decreases with increasing distance from the source because energy is being distributed over a greater area. (Energy, remember, is conserved.)
The mathematical relationship between intensity and distance is an
inverse square relationship.
That means that if the distance from the source is doubled (increased by a factor of 2), then the intensity is decreased by a factor of 4.
Practice Question 1
(a) The intensity or volume of a sound is determined by the sound wave's:
A. amplitude B. frequency C. speed D. all of the above
(b) 5.0 metres from a source, the intensity of the sound is 1.0 x 10 -5 W/m2. What is the intensity of the sound 10.0 metres from the source?
A. 2.0 x 10-5 W/m2 B. 1.0 x 10-5 W/m2 C. 5.0 x 10-6 W/m2 D. 2.5 x 10-6 W/m2
SPH3U Lesson 15 page 1
Lesson 15: Sound Propagation
Humans are equipped with sensitive ears capable of detecting sound waves of extremely low intensity, as faint as 1 x 10-12 W/m2. This is known as the threshold of hearing (TOH).
The most intense sound which the ear can safely detect without suffering any physical damage is more than one billion times more intense.
Physicists therefore often use a logarithmic scale (based
on powers of ten) for intensity: the decibel scale.
The TOH is assigned a sound level of 0 dB.
A sound (e.g. the sound of rustling leaves) which is 10
times more intense (1 x 10-11 W/m2) is assigned a sound level of 10 dB.
A sound (e.g. a whisper) which is 10×10 or 100 times
more intense (1 x 10-10 W/m2) is assigned a sound level of 20 db. Etc.
In general, if one sound is 10x times more intense than
another sound, then it has a sound level which is 10x more decibels than the less intense sound.
Practice Question 2
(a) How many times louder is a 100 dB sound than a 50 dB sound?
A. 2 B. 4 C. 50 D. 100000
(b) If the intensity of sound produced by a rock band is 120 dB at 1.0 m, what is the intensity of the sound at 100.0 m?
SPH3U Lesson 15 page 2
Lesson 15: Sound Propagation
Start the simulation: http://physics.bu.edu/~duffy/HTML5/doppler.html
You know that the intensity (loudness) of a sound increases as it moves toward you and decreases as it moves away. But what happens to the pitch (observed frequency) of the sound of a siren on a moving ambulance, fire truck, or police car as the vehicle passes by?
Practice Question 3
(a) Hit “Play.” When the (blue dot) source and (green line) observer are both stationary, how does the observed frequency fo compare to the frequency f of the source?
(b) Change the velocity of the source to 0.5 times the speed of light. Hit “Play” and then hit “Pause” before the source reaches the observer. How does the observed frequency fo compare to the frequency f of the source? Why? (Look at the spacing of the waves.)
This change in the observed frequency is called the Doppler shift.
(c) Hit “Play” again and then hit “Pause” after the source has passed the observer. How does the observed frequency fo compare to the frequency f of the source? Why? (Look at the spacing of the waves.)
(d) A source emits a sound of constant frequency. If the apparent pitch of the source is increased which of the following is true?
A. the source is moving toward you and you are stationary
B. the source is stationary and you are moving toward it C. either A or B D. neither A nor B
SPH3U Lesson 15 page 3
Lesson 15: Sound Propagation
Consider an approaching source. The observed wavelength λ obs is decreased by a distance equal to the speed of the source multiplied by the time for the wave (the period):
λ obs =λ source −v source T
v 1 Since λ= and T = , f f v sound v sound v source = − f obs f source f source Simplifying and solving for f obs , v sound f source f obs = v sound −v source
v sound f source Note that for a receding source, the equation would be: f obs = v sound +v source
Practice Question 4
(a) A train in a station sounds its whistle at a frequency of 512 Hz while moving toward a stationary observer at 4 m/s. A stationary train sounds its 512 Hz whistle at the same time. What is the difference in the frequencies heard, assuming a sound speed of 344 m/s?
(b) A source emitting a frequency of 480 Hz is moving toward a stationary observer. If the frequency heard by the observer is 560 Hz, what is the speed of the source? Assume a sound speed of 345 m/s.
SPH3U Lesson 15 page 4
Lesson 15: Sound Propagation
Practice Question 5
What would an observer hear if an object is moving faster than the speed of sound? Explain why.
