CLASS NOTES - SCIENCE
CLASS - 9th
11. SOUND
What is sound ?
sound is a form of energy.
in other words the sensations felt by our ears is called sound.
Propagation of sound waves
Solid ¿liquid¿ gases¿ vacuum
1. How does the sound produced by a vibrating object in a medium reach your ear?
Ans.
When an object vibrates, it creates sound waves that travel through a medium, like air, water, or wood, and reach
your ear:
Vibration creates sound waves: The vibrations from the object cause the particles in the medium to move, which
creates sound waves.
Sound waves travel through the medium: The sound waves travel through the medium until they reach your ear.
Sound waves reach your ear: The sound waves enter your ear canal and reach your eardrum.
Eardrum vibrates: The sound waves cause your eardrum to vibrate.
Vibrations sent to middle ear: The vibrations from your eardrum are sent to three small bones in your middle ear.
2. Explain how sound is produced by your school bell.
Ans.
When the school bell is struck with a hammer, the hammer hits the gong again and again that causes compressions and
rarefactions in the air. These vibrations travel in the air in the form it starts vibrating and as a result sound is produced in
the bell.
3. Why are sound waves called mechanical waves?
Ans.
Sound waves are classed as mechanical waves because they pass through a physical medium such as air, liquids like water,
or metals like silver.
4. Which wave property determines (a) loudness, (b) pitch?
Ans.
The amplitude of a sound wave determines its loudness, while the frequency of a sound wave determines its pitch.
5. Guess which sound has a higher pitch: guitar or car horn?
Ans.
A guitar has a higher pitch than a car horn.
The pitch of a sound is determined by its frequency, or the number of vibrations per second. A higher frequency means a
higher pitch. A guitar's strings vibrate more frequently than a car horn's sound waves, so the guitar has a higher pitch.
6. What are wavelength, frequency, time period and amplitude of a sound wave?
Ans.
Wavelength: The distance between two consecutive compressions or rarefactions of a sound wave. It's measured in
meters.
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Frequency: The number of oscillations per unit time. It's measured in Hertz (Hz).
Time period: The time it takes for the wave to move. It's measured in seconds.
Amplitude: The magnitude of the maximum displacement in the medium from its mean position.
7. How are the wavelength and frequency of a sound wave related to its speed?
Ans.
Speed=wavelength×frequency,
v = fλ
Where:
v: is the speed of the sound wave
f: is the frequency (in hertz)
λ: is the wavelength (in meters)
So this means that speed is directly proportional to the wavelength an frequency ,so if any of them increase then the speed
also increases.
8. Distinguish between loudness and intensity of sound.
Ans.
SR Loudness Intensity
1 Loudness is the measure of response of the ear to the Intensity is the sound power per unit area
sound
2 It is measured in decibels It is measures in unit of watt per meter square
3 Depends on sensitivity of ear Doesn’t depends on the sensitivity of ear
9. In which of the three media, air, water or iron, does sound travel the fastest at a particular temperature?
Ans.
Sound travels the fastest in iron at a particular temperature because iron is denser than air or water.
Sound travels fastest in solids, slower in liquids, and slowest in gases. This is because solids are packed together more
tightly than liquids and gases. Since iron is a solid, it has a higher density than air or water, and sound travels fastest
through it.
10. Why are the ceilings of concert halls curved?
Ans.
The ceilings of concert halls are curved to ensure that sound waves reach all corners of the space evenly after reflecting off
the curved surface. This makes the performance audible to all attendees.
11. What is the audible range of the average human ear?
Ans.
The average human ear can detect sounds in the frequency range of 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.
However, there is a lot of variation between individuals, and hearing sensitivity can change with age, occupation, gender,
and exposure to loud noises.
12. What is the range of frequencies associated with (a) Infrasound? (b) Ultrasound?
Ans.
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(a) Infrasound , also known as low-frequency sound, refers to sound waves that have a frequency lower than the lower
range of audibility (about 20 Hz). Because hearing becomes less sensitive as frequency decreases, the sound pressure
should be reasonably large for humans to experience infrasound.
(b) Ultrasound has a frequency higher than the human hearing range of 20,000 Hz. Animals that can hear ultrasonic
sounds include dogs, cats, moths, and mice.
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