THEME 3

Page 1/9

Physics Group Form 4

Part 3 —Sound

In this topic we will cover:

 Transmission of sound waves
 Characteristics of sound waves
In this topic  Calculating speed
 Ultrasound
How does sound 2
travel?
Characteristics of 4
sound waves
Calculating the 5
speed of the wave

Ultrasound 6
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Have you ever noticed how a loudspeaker cone vibrates?

It moves forwards and backwards very fast causing the air
in front of it to squash and stretch.

1. transmission of sound waves

What is sound caused by?

If a ruler is held down firmly to the bench and flicked it

makes a sound. The end of the ruler is vibrating and moving the air next to
it, making a sound wave.

If a tuning fork is banged on a cork it is made to vibrate. To see the ends

vibrating they are brought to the surface of a beaker of water. The tuning
fork can be heard to vibrate as the ends move the air around it causing a
sound wave.

In a drum the sound is produced by the vibrating membrane stretched over

the drum. In a guitar, the sound is produced by the vibrating string which
causes a sound wave to form.

How do vibrations travel to your ear?

A long slinky spring is stretched along a bench and one end is vibrated in
and out along the length of the spring. A longitudinal wave is sent down to
the spring. Sound waves are longitudinal waves.

If you look closely at the spring you can see that, at any instant, some parts
of the spring are pushed closer together (compression) and some parts are
farther apart (rarefaction).

It is the same with a sound wave in air. In some placed the molecules of air
are pushed together at a slightly higher pressure (compression) and in some
places the molecules are farther apart at a slightly lower pressure
(rarefaction). These compressions are rarefactions shoot out across the
room to your ear, travelling at the speed of sound.
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The wavelength of the sound is the distance between successive

compressions (or rarefactions).

For sound waves, like any other waves

Velocity = frequency x wavelength

V = f x λ

Does sound travel through a vacuum?

An electric bell is hung inside a jar connected to a

vacuum pump. The bell is switched on and the second
made by the bell can be heard.

The vacuum pump is then started and the air molecules

are taken out of the jar. The sound of the bell starts to
fade away. When all the air molecules have been
removed (vacuum) the sound cannot be heard. This
means that sound cannot travel through
a vacuum, as it needs air molecules to
make compressions and rarefactions to
travel.

Sound waves can travel through solids,

liquids and gases. Most sound waves
reaching your ear have travelled through
air. But you can also hear when
swimming underwater and walls,
windows, doors and ceilings can also
pass on sound.
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2. characteristics of sound waves

Sound waves displayed on an oscilloscope

By using an oscilloscope we are able to make comparisons between what

our ears hear and the waves producing the sound. A frequency generator
makes waves of varying frequency and amplitude. When connected to a
loudspeaker the waves come out as sound waves, and when connected to
an oscilloscope the wave is drawn.

Frequency and pitch

A high pitched sound (high note) is a

wave with a high frequency. The high
note is heard on the loudspeaker and
the high frequency wave (many
waves with short wavelength are
seen on the oscilloscope). A low pitched sound (low note) is a wave with a
low frequency (few waves with long wavelength).

The pitch of the sound waves depends on the frequency.

Amplitude and Loudness

A quiet sound is a wave with small amplitude. A loud sound is a wave with
large amplitude. The loudness of the sound shows how much energy the
wave has. A loud sound has a lot of energy and is heard from afar. A quiet
sound has little energy and is not heard from afar.

The loudness of a sound

depends
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The approximate range of audible frequencies

If a signal generator is connected to a loudspeaker as above, we can listen

to sound waves at any frequency or pitch selected on the generator. The
frequencies that the human ear can detect are called the range of audible
frequencies.

Below about 20Hz the vibrations are felt rather than heard and are called
subsonic (below sound). 20Hz is the lowest frequency of sound which is
usually heard.

At the high frequency end of the audible range the ear becomes less
sensitive as the frequency rises above 10,000Hz (10 kHz). Also, as we get
older, the range of high-frequency sounds which we can hear gradually
reduces. Very few people can hear a frequency of 20 kHz. This is the upper
limit.

Thus, the full human hearing range is about 20Hz and 20 kHz. Above 20 kHz
the waves are known as ultrasound.

3. speed of sound
The delay between a flash of lightning and the thunder is caused because
sound travels much slower than light. Light travels at 300,000,000 m/s.
Sound travels at about 330m/s in air. A 3s delay between thunder and
lightning means that the lightning is 990m away.

Speed = distance
Time

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Characteristics of speed of sound
 The speed of sound depends on the temperature of the air. Sound
waves travel faster through hot air than through cold air.
 The speed of sound does not depend on the pressure of the air. If
atmospheric pressure changes, the speed of sound stays the same.
 The speed of sound is different through different materials. Sound
waves travel faster through liquids than through gases and fastest of
all through solids.
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Measuring the speed of sound

1. A distance of 100m is measured from a large wall. There should be no

large reflecting surfaces nearby.
2. A sharp slapping sound is made by banging 2 blocks of wood together,
and the stop watch started.
3. The sound is repeated as soon as the echo of the first sound is heard.
50 claps and echoes are timed.

For such an experiment, 50 claps and echoes would take 30.0s.

Therefore 1 echo = 30.3 = 0.606s

50
The sound travels a distance of 200m (to and from the wall)

Therefore speed = distance = 200 = 330m/s

Time 0.606

Sources of error in such an experiment would be mainly the accuracy of the

timing. So the precautions to be taken are:
 Take the time for 50 claps and echoes instead of for one clap
 Echoes are taken in this long time so that human reaction errors affect
less
 The experiment is repeated many times and the average time is taken.

The best way to avoid such reaction time errors is to use electronic timing
which starts and stops instantly as the sound reaches it.

4. Ultrasound
As seen previously, sound waves which cannot be heard by humans are
called ultrasound. Many uses have been found for ultrasound.

Ultrasound is used in the echo method used by ships to measure the depth
of the sea. The ship has a transmitter which sends a pulse of ultrasound
waves. The ultrasound waves are reflected back from the sea bed. By
measuring the time interval between the sending out of a pulse of
ultrasound and its echo arriving back from the sea bed, the depth of water
can be calculated. For example, if the time interval is 0.8s and the speed of
ultrasound waves in water is 1500m/s, the depth of water is calculated as
follows:
s=v x t
s = 1500 x 0.8 = 1200m
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1200m is the distance from the ship to the sea bed and back. Therefore the
distance between the ship and the sea bed is half the value found, that is
600m.

The advantages of using ultrasound instead of ordinary sound frequencies

are:
 The Ultrasound is not confused with other
natural sounds in the water because the
ultrasound detector does not detect
ordinary sound frequencies.
 Very high frequency ultrasound waves have
a short wavelength and are more easily
concentrated in a narrow beam which can
penetrate greater depths of water with less
spreading out of waves.
 Using shorter waves means that smaller
objects on the sea bed can be detected. In this way an image of the
sea bed can be produced.
The typical ultrasonic frequency used by fathometer (the name of the
instrument) is 50 kHz

Ultrasound in hospital

The typical frequen- In hospital ultrasound is used to obtain images of internal parts of the body.
cies used in medical Ultrasound pulses are sent into the body by a transmitter places in good
diagnosis are 1MHz contact with the skin. Reflections or echoes are received from any surface
to 10MHz. within the body which have either a different density or a different
structure or elasticity. The time delay of the echoes gives the depth within
the body of the reflecting surfaces and the reflections in different directions
can be used to build up an image of something inside.

The advantages of using ultrasound in medicine are:

 It is thought to be much safer than X-rays, which are known to damage
cells. Ultrasound is used to get pictures of unborn babies which might
be harmed by X-rays.
 It can be used continuously to watch the movement of an unborn baby
or a person’s heart, without any injury or risk to the patient.
 It can measure the depth of an object below the body surface from the
time delay of the echo, whereas an X-ray picture is flat with no
indication of depth.
 It can detect some differences between soft tissues in the body which
X-rays cannot. In this way it is sometimes able to find tumours or
lumps inside the body.
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Exercise:

1. a) Joseph pushes a spring backwards and forwards as represented in

the diagram below:

i) Which type of wave is represented by the above diagram?

ii) Mark on the above diagram:
 an area of Rarefaction ‘R’
 an area of compression ‘C’
 one wavelength of the wave (mark as λ)

b) The annoying sound from a mosquito is produced when it beats

its wings at the average rate of 600 wing beats per second.

i) Define the term frequency

ii) What is the frequency, in Hertz, of the sound wave produced by the
mosquito?

c) Some animals produce a sound which is too highly pitched for the
human ear.

i) What is this type of sound called?

ii) Underline one of the following frequencies which is within the audible
(hearing) range of human beings.
10Hz 12,000Hz 30,000Hz
iii) Dolphins use sound waves as sonar to hunt their prey. They produce a
sound of frequency 40, 000Hz which travels under water at 1500m/s.
Calculate the wavelength of the sound produced.

iv) Bats use echoes to find food in the dark. Calculate how far away an
object is if the bat emits a sound which travels at 340m/s and takes 3s to
return.
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d) A science fiction film shows inhabitants of one spaceship (in outer

space) hearing the sound of a nearby
spaceship as it passes by at high
speeds. Explain why scientifically, the
above cannot be true. Give one
reason for your answer.

e) Joseph strikes a tuning fork with a rubber hammer and hears a sound.
He then places the tuning fork on a wooden bench and places his ear
at the end of the bench. He hears the sound produced by the tuning
fork.

i) How does the sound travel through the bench?

ii) Where does sound travel faster, in air or through the

wooden bench? Give one reason for your answer.

iii) Explain the energy changes that occur from the

tuning fork to the surrounding air.

iv) Give two differences between sound and light waves.

(SEC paper)