UDGAM SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN

(2019 – 2020)

Subject :Science L-13: Sound Class VIII Notes

Q1. How is sound produced?

A1. When a body moves to and fro about its mean position, it is said to vibrate.
- A vibrating object produces sound.
- Sound is produced as long as a body vibrates but when it stops vibrating, we cannot hear the
sound.
- Eg. When a stretched rubber band is plucked, it starts vibrating and produces sound.
- After some time, it stops vibrating and the sound cannot be heard.
- Sometimes the vibrations of a body are easily visible but other times the vibration cannot be
seen but can be felt.

Q2. Name some musical instruments. Explain how sound is produced in them.
A2. Sound is produced in different musical instruments in different ways:
i. Chordophones (Stringed instruments)
- The musical instruments in which the stretched string vibrates to produce the sound
are called chordophones.
- Ex. Sitar, Guitar, Violin, Veena.
ii. Membranophones (Percussion instruments)
- The musical instruments in which a stretched membrane vibrates to produce the sound
are called membranophones.
- Ex. Dholak, Tabla, Drums, Bongo, Pakhawat.
iii. Aerophones (Wind instruments)
- The musical instruments in which the enclosed air column vibrates to produce the sound
are called aerophones.
- Ex. Flute, Trumpet, Mouth organ, Bagpipe, Harmonium.
iv. Idiophones
- When some musical instruments are simply hit or beaten, the whole instrument vibrates
to produce the sound. Such instruments are called Idiophones.
- Ex. Xylophone, Jaltarang, Cymbals (Manjira), Bell.

Q3. Explain the following terms.

A3. i. Amplitude:
- The maximum displacement of a body from its mean position in any direction is called the
amplitude.
- The symbol for it is ‘A’ and its unit is ‘metre’.
- The amplitude determines the loudness of the sound.
- More the amplitude louder would be the sound.
- Loudness of a sound is measured in a unit called decibel (dB).
- Loudness is proportional to the square of the amplitude of vibration.

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 ii. Time period:
- The time taken by a body to complete one oscillation or vibration is called time period.
Its symbol is ‘T’ and the unit is ‘second’.
- Eg. If a body completes 25 oscillations in 1 second, the time period is 0.04 seconds.

iii. Frequency:
- The number of vibrations or oscillations completed by a body in 1 second is called frequency.
- Its symbol is ‘f’ and its unit is Hertz (Hz).
- If the frequency is high, high pitched (shrill) sound will be produced and if the frequency is low,
the sound is low and deep.
- Eg. If a body completes 20 oscillations in 1 second, it’s frequency is 20 Hz.

Q4. How is sound produced in humans?

A4. The main source of sound in the humans is the larynx or the voice box that is situated at the
upper end of the windpipe.
- Two ligaments called vocal cords are stretched across the larynx in such a way that there is a
narrow slit present between them.
- When air is forced into the windpipe from the lungs, it passes through the slit making the vocal
cords to vibrate.
- Thus, the vibrating vocal cords produce the sound.
- A set of muscles are attached to the two ends of the vocal cords.
- When the vocal cords are tight and thin, the sound produced is of high pitch (shrill sound).
- When the vocal cords are loose, the sound produced is of low pitch (heavy sound).

Q5. How does the human ear hear the sound?

A5. The human ear is divided into three parts, that is, the ‘outer ear’, ‘middle ear’ and ‘inner ear’.
- The outer ear collects the sound vibrations from the environment.
- These vibrations travel through a canal called the ‘auditory canal’ at the end of which
there is a thin stretched membrane called the ‘eardrum’ or ‘tympanic membrane.
- When the vibrations hit the ear drum, it vibrates.
- The ear drum sends vibrations to the inner ear.
- From there, the signals go to the brain (through auditory nerves).
- That is how we hear.

Q6. How can you show that sound needs a medium to propagate? Give examples.
A6. Sound travels through solids, liquids and gases.
i. Gases:
- Sound of the school bell is heard because sound can travel through air.
ii. Liquids:
- If a ringing bell is kept inside a tumbler of water, then we can hear the sound of the bell if we
keep our ears close to the tumbler.
- This happens because sound travels through liquids.
iii. Solids:
- Tie two empty ice cream cups at the two ends of a string.
- Keep one end at the mouth and the other end at the ear.
- When we speak, the sound can be heard clearly in this arrangement because sound travels
through the string and reaches our ear.
- This shows that sound travels through solids.

Q7. Explain the following terms.

A7. i. Infrasonic vibrations (inaudible sound):
- The sounds of frequency less than 20 Hz cannot be detected by human ear.
- Such sounds are called infrasonic or inaudible sound.

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 ii. Sonic vibrations (audible sound):
- Sounds having frequency more than 20 Hz and less than 20,000 Hz are audible to the
human ear.
- They are called sonic sound or audible sound.

iii. Ultrasonic vibrations:

- The sounds having frequency more than 20,000 Hz are also not audible to the human ear.
- Such sounds are called ultrasonic sound.

Q8. Give the uses of ultrasonic vibrations.

A8. The uses of ultrasonic vibrations are as follows:
i. Ultrasound is used to study the growth of the foetus in the uterus of a woman.
ii. Police use high frequency whistles to train the dogs. Humans cannot hear this whistle.
iii. It is used to detect flaws in metals and structures.
iv. Most important use of ultrasonic waves is SONAR (Sound Navigation and Ranging) for
detecting the presence of submarines, icebergs, sunken ships and to map sea-beds.

Q9. Write the factors affecting the pitch of a sound.

A9. The factors affecting the pitch of a sound are:
i. The length of the vibrating body.
ii The thickness of the vibrating body.
iii. The frequency of the vibrating body.
iv. How tightly the vibrating body is stretched

Q10. Write the factors affecting the loudness of a sound.

A10. The factors affecting the loudness of a sound are:
i. The surface area of the vibrating body.
ii. The amplitude of the vibrating body.
iii. The distance between the source of sound and the listener.

Q11. Numericals

i. A pendulum oscillates 40 times in 4s. Find its f and T.

Time taken = 4 s
No. of oscillations = 40
f = No. of oscillations = 40 = 10 Hz
Time Taken 4
T = 1 = 1 = 0.1 s
f 10
ii. The sound from a mosquito is produced when it vibrates its average rate of 500
vibrations per second. Find its time period.
f = 500 Hz
T= 1 = 1 = 1 x 2 = 2 = 0.002 s
f 500 500 x 2 1000

iii. A cracker is burst at a distance of 600 m from a person. After how much time will he
hear the sound? (speed of sound in air = 330 meter per second)
Speed of sound in air = 330 m/s ( Given)
Distance = 600 m
Time = ?

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 Speed = Distance
Time
So, Time = Distance = 600 = 60 = 1.81 s
Speed 330 33

iv. A gun was fired 3 km away from a person. The time taken for the sound to reach
the person was 6 seconds. Find the speed of the sound.

Distance = 3 km = 3000 m
Time = 6 seconds
Speed = Distance = 3000 = 500 m/s
Time 6

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