Sound

Sound Waves

o Longitudinal Disturbance
o Mechanical waves
o require a medium
Sound is a
Pressure Wave
plot of pressure versus time would appear
as a sine curve.
High Pressure = compressions = peaks
points of the sine curve
Low pressure = rarefactions = low points
of sine curve
Amplitude describes pressure or
LOUDNESS
Remember Amplitude describes Energy
Pulse of Sound

Science of sound animations -

Resources
3 conditions necessary for transmission

1. a vibrating source to produce the

sound
2. medium with particles to transmit
the sound
3. receiver to detect the sound.
Bell Jar Animation

Science of sound animations

Resources
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/resour
ces/s/sound/belljar.asp
A sound detector (ear or machine)

detect fluctuations in pressure as

the sound wave impinges upon the
detecting device
Properties and Perception

How we hear
The ear collects pressure waves and
converts them to electrical impulses
which are sent to brain
Structure of the Human Ear
 Outer ear collects and amplifies
Middle ear vibrates at same
frequency of sound wave
Inner ear hair-like nerve cells
(frequency specific) convert
vibrations to electrical impulses
 Hearing Loss

Conduction deafness: reduced

mobility of ossicles due to vibrous
tissue (i.e., from repeated otitis).
Nerve deafness: deterioration of
hair cells or nerve (also age-related
presbycusis).
Can be distinguished through bone
conduction.
How do we perceive sound?

High and Low

Loud and Soft
High vs Low: PITCH

We perceive frequency as
differences in pitch
Directly related
 The greater the frequency, the
higher the pitch. (Ex. The squeak of
a shoe on the floor has a high pitch.
The drone of a semi truck is a low
pitch)
http://fun.drno.de/flash/gecko.swf
 The Sonic Spectrum
Includes sounds within the normal human range
of hearing as well as those above and below this
range.
Audible
_________: human ear detect sound waves 20
Hz to 20 000 Hz.
Infrasonic
___________: sound below audible range (less
than 20 Hz)
Ultrasonic
___________: sound above the audible range
(more than 20,000 Hz)
Infrasonic
The Boy Who Could See Like A bat
(Echolocation) - YouTube
 Loud vs Soft
We perceive loudness as differences
in pressure (the waves amplitude or
energy)
The greater the amplitude the louder the
sound
Examples
 The threshold of hearing (faintest
sound) measures __________.
0 dB
The threshold of pain measures
120 dB
____________________
 Perception of sound waves: Summary

The pitch of a sound is determined

by the frequency of the wave and
the amplitude (pressure or energy)
of the wave determines the loudness
of a sound wave.
Each of these features is
independent of each other.
In other words a sound can have a
high pitch( high frequency) and be
either soft( low amplitude) or loud.
Virtual Oscilloscope

Speed of sound animations -

Resources
Refer to the sound oscilloscope
readings to answer the following:

Which example is the loudest?

Which example is the softest?
Which example has the highest pitch?
Which example has the lowest pitch?
Refer to the sound oscilloscope
readings to answer the following:

Which example is the loudest? 4

Which example is the softest? 5
Which example has the highest pitch? 5
Which example has the lowest pitch? 1
Speed of Sound

Depends on the __________

medium its
traveling through
______>
v solids _________
v liquids > _______
v gases
phase
Within a ___________ it travels faster
less dense
through the _____ _________ material
Elastic between Phase
Inertial with in phase sluggishness
Inertial properties are those properties related to the
material's tendency to be sluggish to changes in its
state of motion. The density of a medium is an example
of an inertial property. The greater the inertia (i.e.,
mass density) of individual particles of the medium, the
less responsive they will be to the interactions between
neighboring particles and the slower that the wave will
be. As stated above, sound waves travel faster in solids
than they do in liquids than they do in gases. However,
within a single phase of matter, the inertial property of
density tends to be the property that has a greatest
impact upon the speed of sound. A sound wave will
travel faster in a less dense material than a more dense
material. Thus, a sound wave will travel nearly three
times faster in Helium than it will in air. This is mostly
due to the lower mass of Helium particles as compared
to air particles.
 Speed of Sound in a Variety of Mediums
Medium Temp (oC) Velocity (m/s)
Gases
air 20 343
Liquids
water 20 1482
Solids
lead 1960
copper 5010
glass 5640
steel 5960
What will sound travel faster in at 20C?

Air or Helium?
Helium: Both gases, but Helium
less dense
Steel or Water?
Steel: sound travels faster in solids
than liquids
Water or Mercury?
Water: Both liquids, but water less
dense than Mercury
MythBusters - Fun With Gas -
YouTube
What will sound travel faster in at 20C?

MythBusters - Fun With Gas -

YouTube
 Affect of temperature on speed

At 0o C, sound travels at 330 m/s

through air
The speed of sound follows the
equation
vsound = 330 m/s + 0.6(C)
Example 1

What is the speed of sound at 30o

Celsius?
vsound = 330 m/s + 0.6(C)

vsound = 330 m/s + 0.6(30C)

Answer: 348 m/s
What is difference between
Echolocation & Sonar

Sonar (SOund Navigation And

Ranging) Manmade

Ex 2: A submarine emits a signal that is reflected from

the coral reef and returned to the sub 1.8 s after
transmission. How far away is the reef? Assume the
speed of sound in water is 1500 m/s.

Remember v = d/t
d = vt/2
Why?
Sound wave has to travel there and
back
d = (1500 m/s) (1.8s)/2
d = 1350 m

 What is difference between

Echolocation & Sonar

Echolocation is done by animals

Infrasonic
The Boy Who Could See Like A bat
(Echolocation) - YouTube
 Echolocation: animals do this
The boy who sees without eyes
Infrasonic waves and echolocation
 Imagine sitting in your car. You
hear a siren. What does it sound
like as it approaches and passes?
 Doppler Effect

The Doppler Effect is the apparent

change in ______
pitch of a sound due to
the _______
motion of either a source or a
receiver.
(Remember pitch is related to
frequency)
Doppler Effect

Moving towards : the pitch

appears _______.
higher
Moving away: the pitch appears
______.
lower
Doppler Effect
Applies to all types of waves
 Contd
Applet Thumbnails from upcoming
Applets
DopplerEffect
 Light waves also exhibit the Doppler
effect. The spectra of stars that are
receding from us is shifted toward the
longer wavelengths of light. This is
known as the red shift.

Measurement of the red shift allows

astrophysicists to calculate the speed at
which stars are moving away. Since
almost all stars and galaxies exhibit a
red shift, it is believed that the universe
is expanding.
 The movie at left
shows a stationary
sound source. Sound
waves are produced
at a constant
A B frequency and wave-
fronts move
symmetrically away
from the source at a
constant speed v.
The observers at A
and B, here the
same pitched sound.
In the movie below, the same sound source is radiating
sound waves at a constant frequency in the same
medium. However, now the sound source is moving to
the right with a speed 100m/s

A B

Notice listener A is Notice listener B is

receiving waves that are receiving waves that are
further apart and he closer together and he
hears a lower apparent hears a higher apparent
frequency than before. frequency than before.
DOPPLER EFFECT:
The pitch heard by the listener is given by the
following equation:
v vo
f ' fS
v vS Units: Hz
f' is the perceived frequency (sound heard by the
listener (observer),
fS is the actual frequency of the sound emitted by the
source,
v is the speed of sound in air, USE 340 m/s unless told
otherwise
vS is the velocity of the source, and
vo is the velocity of the listener (observer).
Sign Convention:
(+) for approaching velocities and
(-) for receding velocities.
Ex 3

An ambulance travels west at a

speed of 17.3 m/s. Its siren emits
a sound of frequency 400.0 Hz.
What frequency is heard by a
passenger of a car traveling east
and approaching the ambulance at
a rate of 25.0 m/s?
452.43 Hz
Ex 4

What frequency is heard by the

passenger as she passes and moves
away from the blaring ambulance
(which we already know is moving
in the opposite direction)?
352.64 Hz
Whats the deal with the red sift and
blue shift terminology?

Red shift.perceived decreased

frequency
Blue shift. perceived increased
frequency
Red light has a smaller frequency
than blue light
What is Mach 1

Speed of sound but dependent on

temperature and pressure.
Around 340 m/s or 761 mph
depending on conditions
What do a sonic boom and snapping
your little brother with a towel have in
common

They both are sounds due to

breaking the sound barrier!!!
Sonic Boom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
-d9A2oq1N38
Sonic Boom - YouTube
 What is a sonic boom?
An airplane moving faster than the
speed of sound:
causes a conical three-dimensional shock
wave continuously swept behind the plane
sonic boom created when the conical shell
of the compressed air swept behind the
supersonic craft approaches an observers
ear.
A sonic boom is similar to a boat wake
Supersonic Flight, Sonic Booms - YouTube
Shock wave
 Natural frequency
Natural frequency is the frequency at which a
system naturally vibrates once it has been set
into motion

Demo
resonance
Resonance is a form of
____________
______________
constructive interference which
produces an increased loudness of a
sound wave due to 2 objects vibrating
sympathetically (in phase) with one
another.
Matching Natural Frequencies
Wine glass Inquiring Minds United
streaming/Lexus Kutv
Resonance boxes
Resonance and music

Piano
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
3mclp9QmCGs
Tacoma Bridge YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
17tqXgvCN0E
breaking a wine glass using
resonance - YouTube
 Tacoma Bridge failure is NOT DUE
to resonance:
Tacoma Bridge Vortex Shedding
 Baptistery in Pisa Under the dome of the Baptistry
in Pisa a stunning acoustic effect can be heard. Notes sung here last so
long, its actually possible to sing with yourself: new notes will harmonize
with old ones still reverberating around the space. The Baptistry Guards
will often demonstrate this beautiful effect.
The key to the remarkable acoustic is that there is very little soft material
about to absorb the sound. Consequently, notes rattles around the space
for a long time, some suggest for over 12 seconds, before the sound dies
away and becomes inaudible.
 Standing Waves

Created when periodic waves with

equal amplitude and wavelength reflect
and superimpose on one another.
http://www.walter-
fendt.de/ph14e/stwaverefl.htm
Contd
 Nodes: seem stationary (due to
destructive interference)
Antinodes: vibrate back and forth
(due to constructive interference)