Sounds

and
Lights
Answer the following
question:
1.What would life be like
without sound and light?
2. How are light and sound
similar?
 The Nature of Sound
Sound is a form of
energy that is produced
when air molecules
vibrate and move in
pattern known as waves
or sound waves. A
 Characteristics of sounds
•Acoustics - The science that focuses on
the study of properties and
transmission of sound.
•Acoustician- A person who works in
this field or in the field of sound.
•Acoustical or an Audio engineer- it is
the branch of engineering dealing with
sound and vibration. It is the person
that working in the field of acoustic
technology.
Look at the wave slope of a musical note below.
Compare it with the wave slope of a noise. How do
they differ?
Pitch
Pitch refers to our subjective
impression about the “highness or
lowness” of a tone, which is related
to the frequency of the tone. The
sensation of the pitch depends upon
the frequency of the waves received
by the ear. A low-frequency vibrating
source produces a sound with low
pitch, while a high-frequency
vibrating source produces a sound
with high pitch. Sound waves of the
same frequencies are said to be in
same pitch.
Loud and Intensity
Intensity is the amount of sound energy of a wave,
while loudness is the sensation on the ear that the
intensity of sound wave produces.
RANGE (db) DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE

0-30 Very quiet Threshold of human hearing is

up to the sound of a quiet
whisper
30-50 Quiet An average quiet house, with
maybe the sound of someone
moving around
51-70 Normal A regular daily sounds like
people talking.

71-90 Loud Sound becomes annoying or

distracting like vacuums or a
noisy car on a busy street.
91-110 Very loud Areas this loud should be
avoided. Prolonged exposure
can cause permanent ear
damage.
111+ Painful Permanent hearing loss may
happen even in limited
exposure to levels this high.
 Tone refers to the sound quality. It
depends on the combination of different
frequencies of sound waves. It is the tone
of a vibrating medium that distinguishes it
from another source. For instance, a
symphony orchestra in Indonesia called
gamelan is composed of more than 50
musicians playing drums xylophone,
gongs, chimes, and other percussion
instruments. Playing at the same time, one
could identify through its tone the sounds
created by each of the instruments.
 0-30 Very quiet Threshold of human hearing
is up to the sound of a quiet
whisper

30-50 Quiet An average quiet house, with

maybe the sound of someone
moving around

51-70 Normal A regular daily sounds like

people talking.

71-90 Loud Sound becomes annoying or

distracting like vacuums or a
noisy car on a busy street.

91-110 Very loud Areas this loud should be

avoided. Prolonged exposure
can cause permanent ear
damage.
111+ Painful Permanent hearing loss may
happen even in limited
exposure to levels this high.
The decibel system (dB) is used to measure the
loudness of sounds. The decibel is actually a
fraction of a bel. It was named after Alexander
Graham Bell, the one who invented the
telephone. Because bel was too high for day-to-
day situations, the decibel was used as the
standard measure.
The decibel meter, also called a sound level meter
or dB meter, is a device that is designed to
accurately measure the sound or noise that can be
heard by the human ear. The meter may also be
used to study how sound pressure changes with
distance from the sound source.
on the combination of different frequencies of sound
waves. It is the tone of a vibrating medium that
distinguishes it from another source. For instance, a
symphony orchestra in Indonesia called gamelan is
composed of more than 50 musicians playing drums
xylophone, gongs, chimes, and other percussion
instruments. Playing at the same time, one could identify
through its tone the sounds created by each of the
instruments. Most sounds are not pure tones but rather a
mixture of different tones. As you strum a string of a guitar,
the energy from your finger is transferred to the guitar
string. When the whole string vibrates, we hear a low pitch
called fundamental. Aside from fundamental, the string is
also producing the so-called overtones—parts of string
characterized by frequencies higher than fundamental.
Tones at different frequencies and qualities
Sound quality depends on the complexity of its
sound waves.
•Tone A shows a sound wave of a specific
frequency produced by a tuning fork, a piano, or
other musical instruments.
•Tone B shows a sound wave with different
frequency.
•Tone C shows the combination of Tone A and
Tone B. It has the same frequency as Tone A with
an increase in amplitude, but the human ear
could easily distinguish between Tones A and
Tone C because of the quality.
Production of sound
Sound Production and Transmission
Sound waves are longitudinal waves.
They are also called compression
waves whose existence depends on
the transfer of energy. To make
vibrations become sound, there are
three basic elements that must be
present: (1) the source, (2) a medium,
and (3) the detector or receiver.