An introduction to physics of

Sound
 Outlines

 Acoustics and psycho-acoustics

 Sound?
 Wave and waves’ types
 Cycle
 Basic parameters of sound wave
 period
 Amplitude
 Wavelength
 Frequency
 Outlines

 Phase
 Types of sounds
 Simple sounds
 Complex sounds ( periodic and aperiodic)
• Resonance Frequency
 Acoustics

What is Acoustics?

 It’s defined as the science that deals with the

production, control, transmission, reception, and
effects of sound (as defined by Merriam-
Webster).
 It’s the branch of physics that deals with study of
sound.
 Psycho-acoustics

What is psychoacoustics?
 It’s the branch of science concerned with the
physical features of sound as it relates to the
psychologic and physiologic aspects of the sense of
hearing in the normal hearing ear.
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/psychoacoustic

 It’s the study of the relationship between

physical stimuli and the psychological
responses to them
 Sound

What is sound?
 It’s the wave that is created by vibrating objects
and propagated through an elastic medium from
one location to another.

 Air is an example of elastic medium

 Elasticity of the medium increased as the distant

between the molecules decreased
 Cont. Sound

 Solid is more elastic than liquid which is in turn

more elastic than air

 Examples of sound sources

 vibration of human vocal cord.
 Vibration of Tuning fork tines.
 Vibration of radio speaker diaphragm.
 Wave

What do we mean by wave?

 It described as the disturbance that travels

through a medium from one location to another
location.
 Types of waves

Wave known to be a compressional wave as it

travels through the air as a series of
compressions and rarefactions.
 Cont. Types of waves

 wave is stated to be a longitudinal wave when

the air particles move back and forth along the
wave line.
 Cont. Types of waves

•The other waveform is transverse wave, where

the particles move up and down along the wave
line. Like waves created in water surface
 Cycle

What is a cycle?
 It’s any complete round or series of occurrences
that repeats or is repeated.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cycle
 Basic parameters of sound wave

1. Period (Time)
 It’s the time taken for a particle to complete one
vibrational cycle.

 So, it’s the duration of one full cycle.

 P (period ) = T2 – T1
T1: time at the beginning of the cycle.
T2: time at the end of the cycle.

 It’s measured in seconds, miliseconds…etc

Illustrated figure for period
 Basic parameters of sound wave

2. Amplitude
 It is the maximum positive displacement of the
particles from the undisturbed position of the
medium to the top of a crest".

 It’s a magnitude, number, represents how big

the wave is.
 Cont. amplitude

 It is measured in sound pressure level for sounds.

(SPL)

 The greater the displacement, the louder the sound

heard .

 The amplitude reflects the energy in the wave,

low energy represented by a wave with short
amplitude and vice versa.
 Cont. amplitude

 The amount of energy a sound wave owns

reflects how intense the sound is. (Intensity)

 So, the larger the amplitude ( greater particles

displacement), the greater the owned energy,
the greater intensity sound has, the louder
sound would be heard.
Illustrated figure for amplitude
 Cont. amplitude

 Loudness is the perceptual concept of the

intensity.

 It’s the human perception of the intensity.

 It’s measured in Decibels (dB).

 Cont. amplitude

 dB : deci ( a unit), Bell ( a scientist name,

Graham Bell)

 Because humans can hear a wide range of

sound pressures, a log scale is used to condense
the scale.
 Basic parameters of sound wave

3. Wavelength

 It is the distance between identical points in the

adjacent cycles of a waveform.

 The distance between 2 peaks (crests) or 2

troughs in the waveform.
Illustrated figure for wavelength
 Basic parameters of sound wave

4. Frequency

 It’s the number of complete cycles per a unit

of time.

 It’s measured in cycles per second or a unit

Hertz (Hz) can be used.

 The Frequency is the reciprocal of the pitch

 Cont. Frequency

 Frequency and period are inversely related

F = 1/ T , T = 1/F

 Human ear can hear from 20-20000 Hz.

 Pitch is the perceptual correlate of the

frequency.
 High frequency sounds, perceived with high
pitch.
 Low frequency sounds, perceived with low
pitch.
Illustrated figure for frequency
 Basic parameters of sound wave

5. Phase

• Any points in sine wave ( expressed in degrees),

may be compared to standards

• The standard considered to be as (0) degree

• If the oscillation begun at 0 or 360 degree, it

said to be in phase with the standard
 Cont. phase

 If the oscillation begun at any points other than

0 or 360 degrees, it stated to be out of phase
from the standard
In phase vs. out of phase wave
Out phase wave
 Cont. phase

Interference

 Belongs to when more than one tone presented

 If the presented tones have identical frequency

and phase, intensity will be increase
 Cont. phase

 If the presented tones have same frequency but

180degree out of phase, the resulted amplitude
will be 0, as each wave will cancel the other one
 Cont. phase

Beats

 When tow tones of different frequencies

presented, there will be a noticeable difference
in the resulted sound

 These changes in the amplitude perceived as

beats
 Cont. phase

 When the difference between the presented

frequencies increases, number of beats per
seconds increases
 Types of sounds

1- simple sounds.

 Sounds that have single frequency (one cycle per

second).

 It’s produced artificially like pure tone that

produced by the audiometer,

 Waveform presents as a sine wave, sinusoidal.

Illustration for simple wave (sine wave)
 Types of sounds

2- complex sounds
 They’re a combination of more than one sine wave.

 All environmental sounds are complex sounds.

 They have got irregular shape like sawtooth waves,

square wave…etc.

 They have got multiple frequencies.

Illustration for complex wave
 Types of complex sounds

1- periodic

 Consists of many frequencies that are

mathematically related.

 So it consists of fundamental and harmonics

 Cont . Periodic complex sounds

 Cycles are repeatable I.e. all cycles take same time

and same pattern. (even if it is with irregular
shape).

 Square waves and some speech sounds like vowels

are example of periodic complex sounds.
 Cont . Periodic complex sounds

 Periodic complex waveform

 Cont . Periodic complex sounds

Fundamental Frequency F0

 It’s the basic frequency of the complex sound.

 The lowest frequency of the vibrating system.

 the lowest harmonic produced by a periodic sound,

generally corresponding to the sound's pitch.
 Cont . Periodic complex sounds

Harmonics

 They’re the integral multiple of F0 (fundamental

frequency).
Fundamental & Harmonics
 Types of complex sounds

2- Aperiodic

 Random waveforms with unrepeatable pattern.

 Consists of multiple frequencies that are

mathematically unrelated.

 Noise and some speech sounds are examples of

these sounds.
Example of aperiodic sound wave ( Noise)
 Resonance frequency

 It is the natural frequency of vibration determined

by the physical parameters of the vibrating object.

 The energy at only certain frequencies will be

enhanced.
 Ear canal RF

 For example, ear canal Resonance frequency is

about 3000 Hz ( 2000-4000 Hz) so, the sound
amplification will be boosted at this frequency.
 ME RF

 Another example, ME resonance frequency from

800-1200 Hz in air conduction mood while it is from
1500-2000 Hz for bone conduction . Where the
greatest sound transmission is possible.