Chapter 13
sound
Sound- Sound is a form of energy which produces a sensation of hearing in
our ears.
Vibration- An vibration is a rapid back and forth movement of an object
about its mean position.
How is sound produced - Sound is produced by the vibration made by a
vibrating body.
Tuning fork- Tuning fork is a u-shaped single Steel piece with a handle.
Two arms of the tuning fork are called prongs ,the handle is called stem. It
is used to produce vibration in laboratory.
Sound needs a medium to travel- The substances or matter through which
sound is transmitted is called a medium. The medium can be solid, liquid or
gas .Sound cannot travel through vacuum.
Speed of sound- Speed of sound depends on the nature and density of the
medium. Sound travel fastest in the solids (speed of sound in steel is 5960
metre per second), slower in liquids( for example the speed of sound in
water is 1531 metre per second )and slowest in gases( for example in air it
is 340 metre per second at at room temperature)
Terms related to sound waves-
Sound travels in the form of waves .Waves are characterized by the three
basic quantities
*frequency
*amplitude
* time period
We can understand it more clearly with the help of simple pendulum.
Simple pendulum- A simple pendulum consists of a small metal ball called
Bob suspended by a long thread from a rigid support such that the bob is
free to swing back and forth.
1)Oscillation of pendulum- The motion of Bob of a pendulum from
one extreme position to the other extreme position and back is called
one oscillation of pendulum.
2) Amplitude of the pendulum-The maximum displacement of the bob
from its mean position on either side is called the amplitude of the
pendulum.
3) Time period of the pendulum- The time taken by the bob of a
pendulum to complete one oscillation is called the time period of the
pendulum.
4) Frequency -The number of complete oscillations made by a simple
pendulum in one second is called its frequency. SI unit of frequency
is Hertz(Hz)named in the honour of German physicist Sir Heinrich R.
Hertz.
Characteristics of sound-
1. pitch
2.loudness
3.Quality
1.Pitch- It is the characteristic of the sound by which one can distinguish a
shrill sound from a grave sound even though the two sounds have the
same loudness.
Pitch of sound depends on the frequency of the vibration.
A grave or flat sound- The pitch of the sound produced by an object
vibrating with low frequency is low and the sound is called grave or flat.
Low frequency --- low pitch---- Grave or flat sound
A Shrill sound- The pitch of sound produced by an object vibrating with a
high frequency is high and the sound is called shrill.
High frequency---- High pitch ----shrill sound
2)Loudness -Loudness is the characteristic of the sound by which a loud
sound can be distinguished from a faint sound even though both have the
same pitch.
Loudness is directly proportional to the square of the amplitude of the
vibration ,producing the sound.
Loudness ∝ Amplitude²
Smaller amplitude ----soft sound
Larger amplitude----- loud sound
Unit of loudness is decibel(dB)
3.Quality--
The characteristic that enable us to distinguish between the sounds of the
same pitch and loudness produced by two different sources. It depends
upon the waveform of the sound .Quality of a sound is called its tone.
Structure and working of human ear
Structure- Our ear is divided into three parts.
a)Outer or external ear
b)middle ear
c)inner ear
a)Outer ear-it consists of a flap like cartilaginous structure called Pinna .It
collects sound waves.
b) Middle ear-It consists of a chain of three bones- hammer ,anvil and
stirrup. These are collectively called ossicles.
c) Inner ear--The inner ear contains cochlea and semicircular canals.
Cochlea is semi spirally coiled tube like a snail shell.
Note down working of human ear which is on page number 188 of your
science book (figure 13.16)
Audible and inaudible sounds-
Sound that can be heard by human ear is audible. On the basis of
frequency range, sound can be classified as -
1)Infrasonic--- inaudible
2)ultrasonic--- inaudible
3) Sonic ---audible
1) Infrasonic sound--The sound having frequency less than 20 hertz is
called infrasonic vibration or infrasonic sound.
It is inaudible for humans.
2) Ultrasonic sound- The sound having frequency more than 20,000 hertz is
called ultrasonic sound .
It is also inaudible for humans.
3)Sonic sound--The sound where frequency lies between 20 to 20000 hertz
is called Sonic sound .
It is audible for human ear.
Reflection of sound--When sound strikes a hard surface ,it also gets
reflected. Sound does not require smooth and polished surface for
reflection as occurs in case of light.
Good and bad reflectors of sound
a) Good reflectors--The objects which are hard and have smooth surfaces
are called good reflectors of sound waves .Example -metals,alloys ,
concrete brick walls, etc.
b)Bad reflectors---The objects which are soft and porous are bad reflectors
of sound . Examples- cloths, carpets ,papers , wood, thermocol, etc.
*Echo--An echo is the repetition of the original sound heard after the sound
is reflected from a distant, dense and rigid object such as high building
,Cliff,etc.
Essential conditions for an echo-
Following are the essential conditions for an echo to be heard
a) The maximum distance between the source of sound and the reflecting
surface is 17 metre.
b)The sound is loud enough to be heard after reflection.
c) There should be high building or hil which can act as reflecting surface.
Noise and music
Noise-The unwanted ,unpleasant and very loud sound produced by
irregular vibrations are called noise. Long exposure to noise leads to
serious health hazards.
Music--The pleasant and soft sound caused by regular vibrations are called
music. It does not cause health hazards.
Note down the differences between noise and music which is on page
number 193 of your science book (table 13.3)
Musical instruments- There are five main types of musical instruments
depending upon the way ,the air vibrates in them.
1.Stringed instruments-- In such instruments ,music is produced by a
vibrating a string (usually metal wires )examples -guitar, Veena ,sitar,
violin,etc.
2.Wind instruments-- The instruments are generally made in the form of
pipes. When we blow air into them, the column of air inside vibrate
producing a sound of particular frequency called note. Examples -whistle
,flute,Shehnai,trumpet,etc.
3) Percussion instruments-In these instruments ,musical sound is
produced by a vibrating skin or membrane . Examples -Dholak, tabla
,Mridangam,etc.
4.Reed instruments-They contain metal reeds which produce sound when
air is blown through them. Examples- mouth organ ,harmonium,etc.
5.Ghana Vadya-Some instruments are simply beaten to produce sounds are
called Ghana vadya. Examples- manjira, jal Tarang,Ghatak(mud
pot),Khartal,etc.
Noise pollution- Unwanted noise from any source that cause disturbance or
discomfort in the environment is called noise pollution. A sound of about
90 dB and above cause noise pollution.
Harmful effects of noise pollution--Noise pollution can lead to many
harmful hazards some of them are as follows
A) it causes nervous tension ,irritation,earache,headache and high blood
pressure
B)it causes lack of concentration in work.
C) Loud music during nights disturbs sleep .
D)Prolonged exposure to high loud noise may lead to temporary or even
permanent loss of hearing.
Measures to reduce noise pollution--
To control noise pollution we should adopt the following measures
A)Automobile should be fitted with silencers and soft horns.
B) We should not play music systems too loudly
C) Thehe horns of the vehicles should not be blown unnecessarily .
D)Airports and noise making factories should be shifted away from the
residential areas of cities
E) The use of loudspeakers should be restricted.
