VELAMMAL VIDYALAYA-ANNEXURE-CH-95

CLASS-9-PHYSICS

CHAPTER-12-SOUND

Sound

Sound is a form of energy which produces a sensation of hearing in our ears.

Production of Sound:

Sound is produced due to vibration .Vibration means a kind of rapid to and fro
motion of an object.

Eg. The sound of the human voice is produced due to vibrations in the vocal cords.

A stretched rubber band when plucked vibrates and produces sound.

Propagation of sound:

Medium :

The matter or substance through which sound is transmitted is called a medium.

Sound reach our ear:

1.When an object vibrates ,it sets the particles of the medium around it vibrating.

2.The particles do not travel all the way from the vibrating object..

3.A particle of the medium in contact with the vibrating object is first displaced from
its equilibrium position.

4It displaces the adjacent particle with a force.

5.The adjacent particle gets displaced. After displacing the adjacent particles they
come back to their equilibrium position.

6.This process continues in the medium till the sound reaches our ears.

The disturbance(vibrations) produced by the source of sound in the medium travels

through the medium and not the particles of the medium

Wave :

A wave is a disturbance that moves through a medium when the particles of the
medium set neighboring particles into motion.
 Sound propagates in a medium in the form of waves.They are characterized by
the motion of the particles in the medium and are called mechanical waves.

Sound waves in air:

1.Air is the most common medium through which sound travels .

2.When a vibrating object moves forward ,it pushes and compresses the air in front of
it creating a region of high pressure and it is called as compression.(C )

3.When the vibrating object moves backwards ,it creates a region of low pressure
called rarefaction.(R).

5.Thus a series of compressions and rarefactions is created in the air and hence the
sound waves propagate through the medium.(air)

Sound needs a material medium to travel:

1.Take an electric bell and an airtight glass bell jar .

2.The electric bell is suspended inside the bell jar.

3.The bell jar is connected to a vacuum pump.

4.When we press the switch the we will hear the sound.

5.Now with the help of vacuum pump the air inside the jar is pumped out .

6.When the air is pumped out ,gradually the sound becomes fainter, although the
same current is passing through the bell.

7.When the air is removed completely we will not hear the sound but we can see
hammer striking the gong.

8.This shows that sound needs a material medium to travel.

Longitudinal waves :

A wave in the particles of the medium vibrate back and forth in the same(parallel)
direction in which the wave is moving is called a longitudinal wave.

A longitudinal wave consists of compressions and rarefactions

Compression is a region of high pressure and the particles of the medium are closer to
one another.

Rarefaction is a region of low pressure and the particles of the medium are farther
apart .

Longitudinal waves can be produced in all the three media i.e. solids,liquids, gases.
 Eg. Sound wave ,waves produced in a slinky toy.

Transverse waves:

A wave in which the particles of the medium vibrate up and down at right
angles(perpendicular) to the direction in which the wave is moving is called a transverse
wave.

A transverse wave consists of crests and troughs.

The peak or elevation or hump in a transverse wave is called crest.

The valley or depression or hollow in a transverse wave is called trough.

Transverse wave can be produced only in solids and liquids but not in gases.

Eg. Light waves, radio waves, tidal waves.

Sound waves are Longitudinal waves:

When a sound waves passes through air ,the particles of air vibrate back and
forth parallel to the direction of sound wave.

Thus ,when a sound wave travels in the horizontal direction ,then the particles of the
medium also vibrate back and forth in the horizontal direction. So sound waves are
longitudinal waves.

Characteristics of a sound wave:

A sound wave can be described completely by five characteristics ; Wavelength

,Amplitude, Time-period, Frequency and Velocity or Speed

1.Wavelength:

The minimum distance in which a sound wave repeats itself is called its
wavelength. It is the distance travelled by the sound wave in one time-period(T). The S.I unit
of wavelength is metre (m). It is denoted by the letter λ.

2.Amplitude

The maximum displacement of the particles of the medium from its mean position is called
amplitude of the wave. The S.I unit of amplitude is metre (m).It is denoted by the letter A

3.Time-Period:

The time required to produce one complete wave is called time-period of the wave. The S.I
unit of time-period is second(s).It is denoted by the letter (T).
4.Frequency:

The number of complete waves produced in one second is called frequency of

the wave .Or The number of vibrations per second is called frequency.The S.I unit of
frequency is hertz. It is denoted by the letter ν

ν =1/T .This is the relation between frequency and time-period.

5.Velocity or Speed.

The distance travelled by a wave in one second is velocity of the wave. The
S.I unit of velocity of the wave is m/s.It is denoted by the letter v

Relationship between v, λ, ν:

We know ,

Speed = distance / time

i.e v=λ/T

Here λ is the wavelength of the sound wave and T is the time-period of the wave.

We know ,

ν =1/T

i.e v = νλ

That is speed = frequency x wavelength.

Characteristics of sound:

Loudness:

The loudness of sound is a measure of the sound energy reaching the ear per second.

The loudness of sound depends on the amplitude of sound waves.

The loudness of sound is measured in decibel (dB).

Soft sound Loud sound

Pitch:

Pitch is that characteristic of sound by which we can distinguish between different

sounds of the same loudness.

The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency of vibration .The pitch of a sound is
directly proportional to its frequency.

Low pitch High pitch.

Quality (or Timbre)

Quality or timbre is that characteristic which enables us to distinguish one sound from
another sound having the same pitch and loudness produced by different musical instruments.

Music:

The sound produced due to regular vibration and pleasant to hear is called music.

Noise:

The sound produced due to irregular vibration and unpleasant to hear is called noise.

Loudness & Intensity:

S.No Loudness of sound Intensity of sound

1. The loudness of sound is a The average energy transported by a

measure of the sound energy sound wave per second per unit area is
reaching the ear per second. called intensity of sound.

2. The unit of loudness of sound is The unit of intensity of sound is watts

decibel per square metre.

3. Loudness of sound depends on Intensity of sound does not depend on the

the sensitivity of ears sensitivity of ears.

Speed of sound in different media.

The speed of sound depends on the properties of the medium through which it travels.

The speed of sound depends on the temperature of the medium.

 In any medium as we increase the temperature the speed of sound increases.

The speed of sound decreases as we go from solid to gaseous state.

Reflection of sound:

Like light ,sound gets reflected at the surface of a solid or liquid .

It also obeys the laws of reflection.

Echo:

The repetition of sound caused by the reflection of sound waves is called an echo.

Or. The sound heard after reflection from a hard surface is known as echo.

Echoes may be heard more than once due to successive or multiple reflections.

For hearing distinct echoes ,the minimum distance of the obstacle from the source of
sound must be 17.2 m. This distance will change with the temperature of air.

The sensation of sound persists in our brain for about 0.1 s. To hear a distinct echo
the time interval between the original sound and the reflected one must be at least 0.1 s.

Reverberation.

The repeated reflection that results in the persistence of sound is called reverberation.

To reduce reverberation ,the roof and walls of the auditorium are generally
covered with sound-absorbent materials like compressed fibreboard, rough plaster or
draperies. The seat materials are also selected on the basis of their sound absorbing
properties.

Uses of multiple reflection of sound.

1.Megaphones (loudhailers),horns ,trumpets ,shehanais have a tube followed by a conical

opening reflects sound successively from the source towards the audience in a particular
direction without spreading in all directions .

2.Stethoscope;

1.A stethoscope works on the principle of multiple reflection of sound.

2.A stethoscope consists of chest piece, two ear- pieces, a rubber tube. The diaphragm in the
chest piece amplifies the sound of heartbeats/lungs.

3.This sound reaches the doctor’s ears by the multiple reflection of the inner walls of the
stethoscope tube.
3.Soundboard ;

1.A curved ceiling of concert halls, conference halls and cinema halls reflects the sound and
the sound reaches all the parts of the hall.

2.(i) The sound board is a concave board kept behind the speaker in large halls or auditoriums

(ii)The soundboard works on the principle of multiple reflection of sound .(iii)The concave
surface of the sound board reflects the sound waves of the speaker.

(iv)Due to this , sound is distributed uniformly throughout the hall and even the persons
sitting at the back of the hall can hear the speech easily.

Range of hearing:

The range of frequency from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz is known as the frequency range of hearing
in humans.

The audible range of sound frequencies for human beings is 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.

Infrasonic sound:

The sounds of frequencies less than 20Hz are known as “Infrasonic sounds”

Infrasonic sounds cannot be heard by the human beings .Eg, vibrating simple pendulum,
earthquakes ,sounds of some animals like whales, elephants, rhinoceroses. produce infrasonic
sound.

Ultrasonic sound:

The sounds of frequencies more than 20,000 Hz are known as “ultrasonic sounds”.

Ultrasonic sounds cannot be heard by the human beings Children under the age of five years
can hear ultrasonic sound. Eg. Bats, dolphins, porpoises, rats produce and hear ultrasonic
sound.

Applications of ultrasound:

1.Ultrasound is used in industry for detecting flaws (cracks )in metal blocks without
damaging them.This based on the fact that an internal crack or hole does not allow ultrasound
to pass through it ,it reflects the ultrasound

2.(a)Objects such as spiraltubes ,oddshaped parts,electronic components are cleaned by

ultrasound.

(b)The object is placed in a cleaning solution and ultrasound waves are sent into the solution.

(c ) Due to the high frequency ,the particles of dust, grease, and dirt get detached and drop
out .Thus it gets cleaned thoroughly.
3.Medical field.:

(i) Ultrasound waves are used to investigate the organs inside the human body.

(ii) Ultrasonic waves are made to reflect from the various parts of the heart and form images
of the heart .This technique is called echocardiography

(iii) Ultrasonography

(a) The technique of obtaining pictures of internal organs such as kidney,liver,gall bladder,
pancreas, kidneys ,uterus ,etc. by using echoes of ultrasound pulses is called
ultrasonography and the machine used is called ‘ultrasound scanner.’

(b) In this technique the ultrasonic waves travel through the tissues of the body and get
reflected from a region where there is a change of tissue density .

(c )These waves are changed into electrical signals that are used to generate images of the
organs.

(d) These images are then displayed on a monitor or printed on a film.

(e) Ultrasonography is also used to examine the congenial defects and growth of the foetus
during pregnancy

(iv) Ultrasound may be used to break the kidney stones into fine grains .These grains later get
flushed out with urine.

(v) (a ) Bats search out prey and fly in dark night by emitting and detecting ultrasonic waves.
(b) The high –pitched ultrasonic squeaks of the bat are reflected from the obstacles or prey
and returned to bat’s ear .

( c ) The nature of reflections tells the bat where the obstacle or prey is and what it is like .

(vi) Porpoises also use ultrasound for navigation and location of food in the dark.

SONAR: Sound Navigation And Ranging

1.Sonar is a device used to measure the distance ,direction and speed of underwater objects
using ultrasonic waves. It works under the principle of echo ranging.

2.It consists of a transmitter, and a detector .It is installed in a boat or ship.

3. The transmitter produces and transmits ultrasonic waves

4.These waves travel through water and after striking the object on the seabed ,get reflected
back.

5.The detector receives the reflected ultrasonic waves and converts into electric signals.
6.The speed( v ) of sound in water ,the time interval (t) between , transmission and reception
of ultrasound is recorded.

7.The total distance , 2d travelled by the ultrasound is given by 2d = v x t.

Applications of SONAR:
Sonar is used to determine the depth of sea and to locate under water hills,
valleys ,submarines, icebergs ,sunken ship etc.

HUMAN EAR:

1. The outer ear is called ‘pinna’ .

2. It collects the sound from the surroundings .
3. The collected sound passes through the auditory canal .
4. A t the end of the auditory canal there is a thin membrane called the ear drum or
tympanic membrane.
5. The eardrum moves inward (compression) and outward (rarefaction) .In this way the
eardrum vibrates.
6. The vibrations are amplified by three bones ( the hammer, anvil , stirrup ) in the
middle ear.
7. The amplified vibrations reaches the inner ear from the middle ear.
8. In the inner ear , the amplified vibrations are turned into electrical signals by the
cochlea.
9. These signals are sent to the brain through auditory nerve .
10. The brain interprets them as sound