Unit 15: 2011

Sound
Physics
 Sound is a form of energy.
 Sound travel as longitudinal waves.

How is sound produced?

 Sound is produced by vibrating sources placed in a medium.
o Usually Air but can be gas, liquid or solid.
 Sound cannot travel in vacuum
 Sound travels in a series of compressions and rarefactions.
o Compressions: Air molecules are close together (high pressure)
o Rarefactions: Air molecules are far apart (low pressure)

Transmission of Sound
 Sound waves need a medium to travel from one point to another.
o Bell Jar Experiment, a bell is placed in a jar where the air is slowly sucked out. The sound
gradually faints until there is no air inside.
o Make sure that the bell does not touch the glass and the connecting wires are thin to prevent any
sound wave from being transmitted through the glass and wires to the outside of the jar as the
striker vibrates vigorously.

Medium of Transmission
 Any medium which has particles that can vibrate will transmit sound.
 Sound waves travel at different speeds in different mediums.
 Speed travels fastest in the solid as particles in a solid are closely packed and neatly arranged.
 The speed of sound in a gas is affected by two physical conditions
Temperature of the Gas
 The higher the temperature the gas the faster the speed of sound.
 Molecules at higher temperature have more energy thus they can vibrate faster.
Humidity
 The higher the humidity of the air, the faster the speed of sound.

Measuring the speed of sound in air

 Measured by firing a pistol and calculating time difference between the start of the pistol fire and the
sound heard a fixed distance away.
 Key Source of Error: Human Reaction Time
 Improve Result: Repeat experiment and take the average value and exchange positions of observers.
Reflection of Sound
 An echo is a repetition of a sound.
 An echo is formed when a sound is reflected off hard, flat surfaces such as a large wall or a distant cliff.
 Reverberation occurs when the surface is too close, causing any reflected sound to follow closely behind
the direct sound prolonging the original sound.
 A sound in an enclosed gymnasium will be different as it has multiple reflections of sound from the many
reflecting surfaces.

Uses of Echoes
 Applications of echoes include the measuring of large distances or the detection of the location of objects
that are not easily sighted.
 By sending out a pulse of sound and noting the time interval for the echo, the distance can be calculated.
 Boats use this to find out the depth of sea or the position of fishes.
 Military Boats use this to find the position of mines and submarines.
 Bats emit high frequency sound OR ultrasound that bounces off objects in their path. Hearing that Bats
can avoid the obstacles.

Ultrasound
 Humans (20 000Hz to 20Hz)
 Ultrasound (< 20 000 Hz)
o Sound with frequency above the upper limit of the human range
o Dog Whistle
 Infrasound (> 20 Hz)
o Metal vibrating

Applications of Ultrasound
Ultrasound in quality control
o Concrete (High-Strength Concrete, Fibre Concrete, Self-Levelling Concrete, Slip-Formed Concrete)
o Manufacturers use ultrasound waves to check for cracks or cavities in concrete slabs.

Ultrasound in medical applications

o Obtain images of the inside of the body.
o Commonly used to examine the development of a foetus.
o Ultrasound waves are sent into the body using a transmitter.
o Echoes reflected from any surface within the body are received.
o By noting the time interval the depth of the reflecting surface within the body may be known

Pitch & Loudness

Pitch
o 200 Hz of Sound has a higher pitch than 100 Hz of Sound
o Pitch is related to the frequency of a sound wave.
o Tuning fork with long prongs (lower frequency & longer wavelength & lower pitch)
o Tuning fork with short prongs (higher frequency & shorter wavelength & higher pitch)
Loudness
o Loudness is related to the amplitude of a sound.
o The larger the amplitude the louder the sound.