Sound Waves

KENNETH JUNE E. LEBRILLO

Lesson 7:
Sound Waves
 Sounds are caused by
vibrations.
 Vibrations are the to-
and-fro oscillation of
molecules as a
disturbance that travels
through a medium.
 Sound waves are
examples of longitudinal
waves.
 Sound waves are created
by the compression of a
medium, usually air.
 Sound waves are mechanical
waves since it needs medium
to propagate.
 Sound waves can travel in
solid (fastest), liquid, and gas
(slowest).
Speed of Sound
Speed of sound in dry air at
0C
o

 vw = 331.5 m/s

Speed of light
 c = 3 x 108 m/s
Speed of Sound
 It is affected by
atmospheric
pressure, relative
humidity, and
atmospheric
temperature.
Speed of Sound
 At higher
atmospheric
pressure, sound
waves travel
faster.
Speed of Sound
 The higher the
relative
humidity, the
faster the sound
is transmitted.
Speed of Sound
 Sound waves
travels faster
through warm
air than cold
air.
Speed of Sound
 Speed of sound in air increase by 0.6 m/s

v = [331.5 + 0.6(T)] m/s

v = speed of sound in air at certain temperature
T = temperature of the atmosphere
Sample Problem
At an atmospheric temperature of 40 C, what
0

is the speed of sound in air?

v = [331.5 + 0.6(T)] m/s

v = [331.5 + 0.6(40)] m/s
v = 355.5 m/s
Frequency and Pitch
Pitch
 highness or lowness of sound

 high pitch corresponds to high frequency

 low pitch corresponds to a low frequency
Threshold of Hearing
 audio or sonic frequencies
 about 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz

Infrasonic frequencies
 below 20 Hz (very low)

Ultrasonic frequencies
 beyond 20,000 Hz
100,000 Hz 50,000 Hz 2 to 18 MHz
Loudness and Intensity
Intensity
 amount of energy a sound wave carries
 High amplitude sounds carry large energy
and have higher intensity.
 Low amplitude sounds carry less energy
and have lower intensity.
Intensity
 is the energy/time * area
 measured in units of Watts/meter2
Loudness and Intensity
 Sound intensity is an objective quantity
that can be measured by acoustical
instruments such as oscilloscope.
 Loudness of a sound is a more subjective
response that will vary with a number of
factors (i.e. age).
 Human ear responds to
intensities from 10-12 W/m2
(threshold of hearing) to 1
W/m2 (threshold of pain).
 10-12 W/m2 is called 0 bel, a
unit named after Alexander
Graham Bell
 A sound ten
times more
intense has an
intensity of 1 bel
(10-11 W/m2) or
10 decibels.
 For every 10-decibel increase in the intensity
of sound, loudness is 10 times greater.
Quality
Quality or Timbre
 characteristics of sound which allow the
ear to distinguish sounds which have the
same pitch and loudness
Timbre
 distinguishable characteristics of a tone
Quality
Partial tones or Partials
 various tones in a musical sound
Fundamental Frequency
 lowest frequency that determines the pitch
Harmonics
 frequencies are whole number multiples of
the fundamental frequency
Quality
Second Harmonic
 tone that has twice the frequency of the
fundamental
Third Harmonic
 tone with three times the fundamental
frequency
Pure tones have only one frequency (electronic).
Human Ear
Outer Ear (pinna)
 collect sound waves & focus it to the canal
Ear canal
 transmit the sound waves to the eardrum
Eardrum (tympanum)
 separate the outer and middle ears and
equalize the air pressure gradually
Human Ear
 Air vibrations set the eardrum membrane in
motion that causes the three smallest bones
(hammer, anvil, and stirrup) to move.
 The bones convert small-amplitude vibration
into large amplitude oscillations and transfer
them through the oval window, where a snail-
shaped liquid–filled organ cochlea is found.
Human Ear
 The large amplitude oscillations create waves
that travel in liquid. These sounds are converted
into electrical impulses, which are sent to the
brain by the auditory nerve.
 The brain relates these sounds to previous
experiences and interprets these signals as
words, music, or noise.
Reflection
 Sound bounces back whenever it strikes a
barrier as an echo.
 reflected sound wave reaches the ear more
than 0.1 s after the original sound
 The repeated echo is called reverberation.
 occurs in a small room with height, width,
and length of approximately 17 meters
Refraction
 change in the
direction of waves as
they pass from one
medium to another
 Sound waves travel
slower in cooler air
than in warmer air.
Diffraction
 a property of wave
that involves a change
in direction of waves
as they pass through
an opening or around
a barrier in their path
Interference
 happens or occurs
when two (2) waves
overlap or meet
 Node has very low
energy & amplitude
 Anti-node has high
energy & amplitude
Beats
 fluctuation in the
loudness of the
combined sounds
when two (2) tones of
slightly different
frequencies are
sounded together
Doppler Effect
 phenomenon observed when the source of
waves is moving with respect to an observer
 apparent upward shift in frequency for
observers towards whom the source is
approaching
 apparent downward shift in frequency for
observers from whom the source is receding
Doppler Effect
 Bow waves = the pattern made by such
overlapping waves is a V shaped wave
 Shock waves = produced by overlapping
spheres that form a cone
 Sonic boom = the sound heard by people on the
ground as a sharp crack
Resonance
 when the frequency of forced vibration on an
object matches the object’s natural frequency
 Natural frequency = The set of frequency on
which the material vibrates when disturbed
 Forced vibration = when the vibrating string
forces the sounding board to vibrate
Musical Instruments
Conventional musical instruments can be
grouped into one of these three classes:
 by vibrating strings
 by vibrating air columns
 by percussion