Samruddhi Gurukul ®

Chapter: 12 Class: 9th

SOUND
In text Exercise 1
Question 1:
How does the sound produced by a vibrating object in a medium reach your ear?
Answer 1:
When an object vibrates, it causes the neighboring particles in the medium to vibrate.
These vibrations are passed to adjacent particles. Like ways these vibrations passed
from particles to particles reaches our ears.
In text Exercise 2
Question 1:
Explain how sound is produced by your school bell.
Answer 1:
When school bell is rung it vibrates, it makes back and forth movement. As the bell
moves forward, the air in front of it is also pushed thereby creating a region of high
pressure called the compression. When the bell moves backward, rarefaction occurs,
which is a region of low pressure. Thus a series of compression and rarefaction is
produced on the movement of bell back and forth. These compression and
rarefaction then are passed on to next particles in medium and thus the sound waves
furthers. This causes the sound of bell to reach our ears.

Question 2:
Why sound waves are called mechanical waves?
Answer 2:
Because, sound waves cannot travel without material medium. Sound waves
propagate through a medium as particle vibrations. Hence, these waves are called
mechanical waves.

Question 3:
Suppose you and your friend are on the moon. Will you be able to hear any sound
produced by your friend?
Answer 3:
Sound requires a material medium for propagation. Moon doesn’t have atmosphere.
So, we can’t hear any sound.

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In text Exercise 3
Question 1:
Which wave property determines (a) loudness, (b) pitch?
Answer 1:
(a) Amplitude (b) Frequency
(a) The loudness of a sound depends on its amplitude. Higher the amplitude, the
louder the sound
(b) The pitch of a sound depends on its frequency. Higher the frequency, higher
the pitch of sound.

Question 2:
Guess which sound has a higher pitch: guitar or car horn?
Answer 2:
In the case of guitar, the frequency of vibration produced is more when compared to
a car horn. Pitch of the sound is dependent on frequency. Higher the frequency, the
higher the pitch. So guitar produces a high pitched sound.

In text Exercise 4
Question 1:
What are wavelength, frequency, time period and amplitude of a sound wave?
Answer 1:
Wavelength: The distance between two consecutive compressions or two
consecutive rarefactions is known as the wavelength. Its SI unit is meter (m).
Frequency: The number of complete oscillations per second is known as the
frequency of a sound wave. It is measured in hertz (Hz). Amplitude:

Question 2:
How the wavelength and frequency of a sound wave are related to its speed?
Answer 2:
Speed, wavelength, and frequency of a sound wave are related by the following
equation: Speed ( ) = Wavelength ( ) × Frequency ( )

Question 3:
Calculate the wavelength of a sound wave whose frequency is 220 Hz and speed is
440 m/s in given medium.
Answer 3:
Frequency of the sound wave = 220 Hz

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Speed of the sound wave, v = 440 m s
For a sound wave,
Speed = Wavelength × Frequency
Therefore Wavelength = Speed/Frequency = 440/220 = 2m.
Hence, the wavelength of the sound wave is 2 m.

Question 4:
A person is listening to a tone of 500 Hz sitting at a distance of 450 m from the
source of the sound. What is the time interval between successive compressions from
the source?
Answer 4:
The time interval between two successive compressions is equal to the time period
of the wave. Time period = 1/ Frequency =1/500 = 0.002s.

In text Exercise 5
Question 1:
Distinguish between loudness and intensity of sound.
Answer:
Intensity of a sound wave is defined as the amount of sound energy passing through
a unit area per second. The loudness or softness of a sound is determined basically
by its amplitude. The amplitude of the sound wave depends upon the force with
which an object is made to vibrate. The amplitude of a sound decides its intensity,
which in turn is perceived by the ear as loudness.

In text Exercise 6
Question 1:
In which of the three media, air, water or iron, does sound travel the fastest at a
particular temperature?
Answer 1:
At a particular temperature, sound travels fastest in solids, i.e. iron followed by water
and air.

In text Exercise 7
Question 1:
An echo returned in 3 s. What is the distance of the reflecting surface from the
source, given that the speed of sound is 342 ms-1?
Answer 1:
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Speed of sound, v = 342 ms-1
Echo returns in time, t = 3s
Distance travelled by sound = v × t = 342 × 3 = 1026 m
Sound travels and gets reflected back.
Hence, the distance of the reflecting surface from the source = 1026/2 = 513 m.
In text Exercise 8
Question 1:
Why are the ceilings of concert halls curved?
Answer 1:
Ceilings of concert halls are curved for the sound waves to spread uniformly in all
direction after reflection.

In text Exercise 9
Question 1:
What is the audible range of the average human ear?
Answer 1:
The audible range of an average human ear lies between 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.
Humans cannot hear sounds having frequency less than 20 Hz and greater than
20,000 Hz.
Question 2:
What is the range of frequencies associated with?
(a) Infrasound?
(b) Ultrasound?
Answer 2:
(a) Infrasound has frequencies less than 20 Hz.
(b) Ultrasound has frequencies more than 20,000 Hz.

In text Exercise 10
Question 1:
A submarine emits a sonar pulse, which returns from an underwater cliff in 1.02 s.
If the speed of sound in salt water is 1531 m/s, how far away is the cliff?
Answer 1:
Time taken by the sonar pulse to return, t = 1.02 s
Speed of soundwave r, v = 1531 m s-1
Distance of the cliff from the submarine = Speed of sound × Time taken
= 1.02 1531 = 1561.62 m
Distance travelled by sound wave = 2d, where “d” is distance of cliff from
submarine.

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Therefore, d= distance of sound wave/2=1561.62 / 2=780.31 m.
Exercise
Question 1: What is sound and how is it produced?
Answer 1:
Sound is a form of energy which produces the sensation of hearing. It is produced
by vibration. When an object vibrates, it causes the neighboring particles in the
medium to vibrate. These vibrations are passed to adjacent particles. This creates a
disturbance in the medium, which travels in the form of waves. This disturbance,
when reaches the ear, produces sound.

Question 2: Describe with the help of a diagram, how compressions and rarefactions
are produced in air near a source of sound.
Answer 2:
Air is the most common medium through which sound travels. When a vibrating
object moves forward, it pushes and compresses the air in front of it creating a region
of high pressure. This region is called a compression (C). This compression starts to
move away from the vibrating object. When the vibrating object moves backwards,
it creates a region of low pressure called rarefaction (R).. As the object moves back
and forth rapidly, a series of compressions and rarefactions is created in the air.
These make the sound wave that propagates through the medium. Compression is
the region of high pressure and rarefaction is the region of low pressure. Pressure is
related to the number of particles of a medium in a given volume. More density of
the particles in the medium gives more pressure and vice versa. Thus, propagation
of sound can be visualized as propagation of density variations or pressure variations
in the medium.

Question 3:
Cite an experiment to show that sound needs a material medium for its propagation.
Answer 3:
Take an electric bell and an airtight glass bell jar. The electric bell is suspended
inside the airtight bell jar. The bell jar is connected to a vacuum pump, as shown in
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Fig. If you press the switch you will be able to hear the bell. Now start the vacuum
pump. When the air in the jar is pumped out gradually, the sound becomes fainter,
although the same current is passing through the bell. After some time when less air
is left inside the bell jar you will hear a very feeble sound.

When there is no air present inside, we can say that a

vacuum is produced. Sound cannot travel through a
vacuum. This shows that sound needs a material
medium for its propagation.

Question 4: Why sound wave is called a longitudinal wave?

Answer 4:
In the case of sound waves, the particles do not move from one place to another but
they simply oscillate back and forth about their position of rest. In these waves the
individual particles of the medium move in a direction parallel to the direction of
propagation of the disturbance. Therefore sound wave is called as longitudinal
waves.
Question 5: Which characteristics of the sound helps you to identify your friend by
his voice while sitting with others in a dark room?
Answer 5:
The quality or timber of sound is that characteristic which enables us to distinguish
one sound from another having the same pitch and loudness.
Question 6: Flash and thunder are produced simultaneously. But thunder is heard a
few seconds after the flash is seen, why?
Answer 6:
Sound velocity (344 m / s) is lower than light velocity (3 x 10 8 m/s). The sound of
thunder requires longer time than light to reach Earth. Therefore, a flash is seen,
before we hear a thunder.
Question 7: A person has a hearing range from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. What are the typical
wavelengths of sound waves in air corresponding to these two frequencies? Take the
speed of sound in air as 344 m s-1.
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Answer 7:
Speed = Wavelength × Frequency
Wavelength = Speed/Frequency
Given, speed of sound in air = 344 m/s
i. For 20 Hz
Wavelength = 344/20 = 17.2m.
ii. For 20000Hz
Wavelength = 344/20000 = 0.0172m
Thus, for humans, the wavelength range for hearing is 0.0172 m to 17.2 m.
Question 8: Two children are at opposite ends of an aluminum rod. One strikes the
end of the rod with a stone. Find the ratio of time taken by the sound wave in air and
in aluminum to reach the second child.
Answer 8:
Let the length of the aluminum rod be ‘d’.
Speed of sound wave in aluminum at 25°C,
Therefore, time taken by the sound wave to reach the other end,

Speed of sound wave in air at 25°C,

Therefore, time taken by sound wave to reach the other end,

The ratio of time taken by the sound wave in air and aluminum:

Question 9: The frequency of a source of sound is 100 Hz. How many times does it
vibrate in a minute?
Answer 9:
Frequency is defined as the number of oscillations per second. It is given by the
relation:
Number of oscillations = Frequency × Total time
Given, Frequency of sound = 100 Hz
Total time = 1 min = 60 s

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Number of oscillation= 100 × 60 = 6000
Therefore, the source vibrates 6000 times in a minute, producing a frequency of
100 Hz.
Question 10: Does sound follow the same laws of reflection as light does? Explain.
Answer 10:
Sound follows the same reflective legislation as light. The incident and the reflected
sound wave create the same angle at the point of incidence with the normal to the
surface. In addition, the sound wave incident, the sound wave reflected, and the
normal sound wave to the point of incidence are all in the same plane.

Question 11:
When a sound is reflected from a distant object, an echo is produced. Let the distance
between the reflecting surface and the source of sound production remains the same.
Do you hear echo sound on a hotter day?
Answer 11:
When the time interval between the original sound and the sound reflected is at least
0.1 s, an echo is heard. Sound speed in a medium rises as temperature rises. The time
interval between the original sound and the sound reflected will therefore decrease
on a hotter day. An echo can therefore only be heard if the interval of moment
between the original sound and the sound reflected

Question 12:
Give two practical applications of reflection of sound waves.
Answer12:
i. SONAR: Reflection of sound is used to measure the distance and speed of
underwater objects.
ii. Stethoscope: In a stethoscope, the sound of the patient’s heartbeat reaches the
doctor’s ear by multiple reflection of sound.
Question 13: A stone is dropped from the top of a tower 500 m high into a pond of
water at the base of the tower. When is splash heard at the top? Given, g = 10m s-2
and speed of sound = 340 m s-1
Answer 13: Height of the tower = 500m
Velocity of sound, v = 340 m s-1
Acceleration due to gravity, g = 10 m s-2
Initial velocity of the stone, u = 0 (since the stone is initially at rest)
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Time taken by the stone to fall to the base of the tower, t1
According to the second equation of motion:
s = u t + ½ at2, 500= 0 + ½ x10x t12, 500 = ½ x 10 x t12, t12=100, t1=10s
Now, time taken by the sound to reach the top from the base of the tower,
t2 =500/340 = 1.47s
Total time = time for stone to reach the water + time for sound to reach tower top
= t1+ t2 = 10+1.47 = 11.47s.
Question 15:
What is reverberation? How can it be reduced?
Answer 15:
Persistence of sound (after the source stops producing sound) due to repeated
reflection is known as reverberation. A sound created in a big hall will persist by
repeated reflection from the walls until it is reduced to a value where it is no longer
audible. . To reduce reverberation, the roof and walls of the auditorium are generally
covered with sound-absorbent materials like compressed fiberboard, rough plaster
or draperies. The seat materials are also selected on the basis of their sound absorbing
properties.
Question 16:
What is loudness of sound? What factors does it depend on?
Answer 16:
Loudness is a measure of the response of the ear to the sound. The loudness or
softness of a sound is determined basically by its amplitude. The amplitude of the
sound wave depends upon the force with which an object is made to vibrate. A loud
sound has high energy. Loudness depends on the amplitude of vibrations. In fact,
loudness is proportional to the square of the amplitude of vibrations.
Question 17:
Explain how bats use ultrasound to catch a prey.
Answer 17:
Bats generate ultrasonic squeaks that are high-pitched. These high-pitched squeaks
are reflected by objects like preys and brought back to the ear of the bat. This enables
a bat to understand his prey's distance.
Question 18:
How is ultrasound used for cleaning?
Answer 18:
Ultrasound waves are passed through the objects kept in cleaning Answer. The high
frequency of ultrasound removes dirt from the objects.
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Question 19:
Explain the working and application of a sonar.
Answer 19: SONAR is stands for Sound
Navigation And Ranging. It is an acoustic
device used with the help of ultrasounds to
measure the depth, direction and speed of
underwater objects like submarines. It is also
used to measure sea and ocean depth. The
SONAR produces and transmits an ultrasonic
sound beam,
The echo produced by the reflection of this
ultrasonic sound is detected and recorded by the
detector, which is converted into electrical
signals. The distance (d) of the under-water
object is calculated from the time (t) taken by the echo to return with speed (v) is
given by 2d = v × t. This method of measuring distance is also known as ‘echo-
ranging’.

Question 20:
A sonar device on a submarine sends out a signal and receives an echo 5s later.
Calculate the speed of sound in water if the distance of the object from the submarine
is 3625 m.

Answer 20:
Time taken to hear the echo, t = 5 s
Distance of the object from the submarine, d = 3625 m
Total distance travelled by the sonar waves during the transmission and reception in
water = 2d
Hence, velocity of sound in water = v=2d/t
= 2 x 3625 /5 = 1450 ms-1.

Question 21:
Explain how defects in a metal block can be detected using ultrasound.
Answer 21:
Ultrasounds can be used to detect cracks and flaws in metal blocks. Metallic
components are generally used in construction of big structures like buildings,
bridges, machines and also scientific equipment. The cracks or holes inside the metal
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blocks, which are invisible from outside reduces the strength of the structure.
Ultrasonic waves are allowed to pass through the metal block and detectors are used
to detect the transmitted waves. If there is even a small defect, the ultrasound gets
reflected back indicating the presence of the flaw or defect.

Question 22:
Explain how the human ear works.
Answer 22:
Our ear consists of three sections, the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear .
Pinna of external ear collects the sound vibrations. They enter into the ear canal.
These vibrations strike the eardrum and make it to vibrate.
The vibrations from the eardrum reach the middle ear
It contains three small bones malleus (hammer shaped), incus (anvil shaped) and
stapes (stirrup shaped).
They magnify the sound vibrations.
The vibrations are transmitted to the cochlea which is the inner part of the ear.
The cochlea is filled with fluid which transmits the vibrations.
The motion of the vibrations in the cochlea is detected by tiny hairs connected to
nerves at this point. The vibrations are transformed into electrical signals and carried
by the auditory nerves to the brain where the sensation of the sound is realized.

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