8th Science

Sound

Sound: Sound is a mechanical wave which gives us the sense of hearing.

Sound is produced by a vibrating body. A vibrating object produces sound. When a bell is hit by a gong,
the bell starts to vibrate and produces sound.
Sound Needs a Medium for Propagation:
Sound needs a medium through which it can travel. Sound cannot travel through vacuum. Sound can travel
through solid, liquid. Propagation of sound happens in all directions in a medium.
Vibration: The to and fro or back and forth motion in an object is called vibration or oscillation.
Traditional musical instruments produce sound because of vibration in some of their parts.
Sound Produced by Humans:
Sound is produced by voice box or larynx; in human beings. The voice box or larynx is situated in the
upper part of wind pipe. There are two vocal cords stretched across the larynx in way that there is a small
gap between them. When air is forced through the gap, vocal cords begin to vibrate and sound is produced.
Muscles which are attached to the vocal cord enable us to make the vocal cords tight or loose as per need.
Sound quality varies according to tension or slack in the vocal cords.
The vocal cords in men are longer (about 20 mm), but they are shorter in women and children. Due to this,
voices of men, women and children are different from each other.

Characters of Vibrations:
Vibration is also called oscillatory motion or oscillation. It has certain unique characteristics which are as
follows:
Frequency: Number of oscillations in unit time is called frequency of oscillation. Frequency is
expressed as Hertz (Hz). When an object is vibrating 1 time in a second, its frequency is 1 Hz.
Amplitude: Maximum displacement of a wave on either side from mean position is called amplitude.
Thus, amplitude shows how far the vibrating object moves from the mean position.

Time period:
The time taken by the vibrating body for one complete vibration is known as the time period of vibration. It
is denoted by T.

T=1/f and f=1/T

Time period and frequency are reciprocals of each other.

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 8th Science
Sound

Characters of Vibrations:
Loudness of Sound: Loudness of sound depends on amplitude of vibration. Loudness of sound is
directly proportional to square of amplitude of vibration. Louder sound has higher amplitude, while quieter
sound has lower amplitude. Loudness is expressed in terms of decibel. Loudness of some common sounds
is in the following table.
Sound Loudness
Normal breathing 10 dB

Soft whisper (at 5 m) 30 dB

Normal conversation 60 dB

Busy traffic 70 dB

Average factory 80 dB

Pitch of Sound: Pitch of sound depends on frequency of vibration. A high pitched sound has high
frequency, while a low pitched sound has low frequency. Children and women generally produce sound
with high pitch.
Quality (Timbre):
The quality of a sound is that property by virtue of which two sounds of the same pitch and loudness
produced by the two different musical instrument or people can be distinguished.

Audible and Inaudible Sounds:

 Audible sounds are those that can be heard while inaudible sounds are those that cannot be heard.
 Human beings can hear sounds between frequencies 20 Hz and 20,000 Hz. This range of frequencies is
called the hearing range for humans.
 The sound with frequency below 20 Hz is called infrasound. On the other hand, the sound with
frequency above 20,000 Hz is called ultrasound.
Human Ear
Human ear; which gives us the sense of hearing is a complex structure. It can be divided into three main
parts, viz. external ear, middle ear and internal ear.

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 8th Science
Sound

a. External Ear: The external ear or pinna appears like a funnel. Its function is to catch sound
waves and to direct them towards middle ear.
b. Middle Ear: The middle ear is composed of a stretched membrane and three small bones. The
stretched membrane is called the ear drum and small bones are called bony ossicles. These are
named sequentially from outside to inside as; malleus, incus, and stapes (hammer, anvil, and
stirrup). When sound wave comes to the middle ear, it sets vibrations in the ear drum. After that,
sound waves are transferred from ear drum transfers these vibrations to the three bones.
c. Internal Ear: The internal ear is composed of cochlea and semicircular canals. Cochlea appears
like a snail from outside. Vibrations from middle ear reach the cochlea. Signals from cochlea
reach the brain and we hear a sound. Semicircular canals have no role in sense of hearing, rather
they maintain the balance of the body.

Noise and Music: A sound which is pleasant to ears is called music. But any unpleasant sound is called
noise.
Noise Pollution: Presence of excess noise in environment is called noise pollution. Automobiles,
factories, loud music, construction works, firecrackers, stone quarry, etc. are sources of noise pollution.
The noise becomes physically painful above 80 dB.
Effects of Noise Pollution: Continuous exposure to noise pollution can result in lack of sleep (insomnia),
hypertension (high blood pressure), anxiety and many other disorders. Noise pollution can also lead to
partial loss of hearing; in some cases.
Measures to Limit Noise Pollution:
 Aircraft engines and automobile engines should be fitted with silencing devices. The muffler (or
silencer) in a motorcycle is an example of such device.
 Factories should be relocated far from residential areas. Many factories from Delhi had been shifted
to outskirts in the nineties.
 Trees should be planted along the roads because trees absorb noise.
 Sound barrier should be installed along flyovers.

Hearing Impairment: Loss of hearing is called hearing impairment. It can be total or partial, but total
hearing impairment is rare. Total hearing impairment is usually congenital, i.e. by birth. A person with
hearing impairment can learn sign language to communicate with others. Hearing aids can be used by
people who are suffering from partial hearing impairment.

QUESTIONS
Question 1: Sound can travel through
a. gases only
b. solids only
c. liquids only
d. solids, liquids and gases
Answer: (d) solids, liquids and gases
Question 2: Which of the following voices is likely to have minimum frequency?
a. Baby girl
b. Baby boy
3

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 8th Science
Sound

c. A man
d. A woman
Answer: (c) A man
Question 3: In the following statements, tick T against those which are true, and F against those which are
false:
a. Sound cannot travel in vacuum.
b. The number of oscillations per second of a vibrating object is called its time period.
c. If the amplitude of vibration is large, sound is feeble.
d. For human ears, the audible range is 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.
e. The lower the frequency of vibration, the higher is the pitch.
f. Unwanted or unpleasant sound is termed as music.
g. Noise pollution may cause partial hearing impairment.
Answer: (a) T, (b) F, (c) F, (d) T, (e) F, (f) F, (g) T
Question 4: Fill in the blanks with suitable words.
a. Time taken by an object to complete one oscillation is called ....................
b. Loudness is determined by the .........................of vibration.
c. The unit of frequency is..........................
d. Unwanted sound is called ......................... .
e. Shrillness of a sound is determined by the ................. of vibration.
Answer: (a) time period, (b) amplitude, (c) hertz, (d) noise, (e) frequency and amplitude
Question 5: A pendulum oscillates 40 times in 4 seconds. Find its time period and frequency.
Answer: Given; number of oscillations = 40, time = 4 s
Time period can be calculated as follows:
Time taken for 40 oscillations = 4 second
Hence, time taken for 1 oscillation = 4 ÷ 40 = 0.1 second
Frequency can be calculated as follows:
Frequency = number of oscillations ÷ time
= 40 ÷ 4 = 10 Hz
Question 6: The sound from a mosquito is produced when it vibrates its wings at an average rate of 500
vibrations per second. What is the time period of the vibration?
Answer: Since time period is time taken to complete one oscillation,
Time taken for 500 oscillations = 1 s
Hence, time taken for 1 oscillation = 1 ÷ 500 = 0.002 s
Question 7: Identify the part which vibrates to produce sound in the following instruments:
a. Dholak
b. Sitar
c. Flute
Answer: (a) Stretched membrane, (b) String, (c) Air column
Question 8: What is the difference between noise and music? Can music become noise sometimes?
Answer: Unwanted sound that is unpleasant to ear is called noise. A pleasant sound is called music.
Music can become noise at many instances. When someone tries to enjoy very loud music, it can be noise

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 8th Science
Sound

for someone else. When loud music is played during religious celebrations or marriages, it can be
annoying for many people.
Question 9: List sources of noise pollution in your surroundings.
Answer: Running vehicles
Use of loudspeaker
Use of TV with high volume
Question 10: Explain in what way noise pollution is harmful to humans.
Answer: Noise pollution is harmful to humans in many ways. Constant exposure to noise pollution can
create many health related problems; like insomnia, hypertension and may even lead to loss of hearing.
Question 11: Your parents are going to buy a house. They have been offered one on the roadside and
another three lanes away from the roadside. Which house would you suggest your parents should buy?
Explain your answer.
Answer: I will suggest my parent to buy a house which is away from the roadside, because house at
roadside would be noisy because of running vehicles. On the other hand, the house which is three lanes
away from the roadside would be quieter.
Question 12: Sketch larynx and explain its function in your own words.
Answer: Larynx is composed of two stretched membranes; with some gap between them. When air
passes through the larynx, the membranes or vocal cords vibrate and produce sound. That is why larynx
is also known as sound box.

Question 13: Lightning and thunder take place in the sky at the same time and at the same distance from
us. Lightning is seen earlier and thunder is heard later. Can you explain?
Answer: We know that the speed of light much more than the speed of sound. Due to this, light reaches
to us faster than sound. Hence, during lightning we see the streak of light earlier than hearing the sound
of thunder.

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