Bicol University College of Engineering

Mining Engineering Department

S.Y. 2015-2016

Physics
Submitted by
Thea G. Asuncion

Submitted to
Engr. Victor Florece

All About Sound Waves

Introduction
Sound is a longitudinal, mechanical wave.
Sound can travel through any medium, but it cannot travel through a vacuum. There is no
sound in outer space.

Sound is a variation in pressure. A region of increased pressure on a sound wave is called a

compression (or condensation). A region of decreased pressure on a sound wave is called a
rarefaction (or dilation).
Terms and Definitions

Sound is a mechanical, longitudinal wave.

As a mechanical wave, sound requires a medium.

Sound cannot propagate through a vacuum.

There is no sound in outer space.

As a longitudinal wave, sound is a rapid variation in pressure that propagates.

Regions of above normal pressure (regions under compression) are called

compressions or condensations.
Regions of below normal pressure (regions under tension) are

called rarefactions or dilations.

Sound is produced by small and rapid pressure changes.

o

Vibrating objects produce periodic sound waves.

Implosive or explosive pressure changes produces sound pulses.

Vortex shedding is another source of periodic sound waves.

The speed of sound depends upon the medium and its state.
o

Sound usually travels fast in gases, faster in liquids, and fastest in solids.

The speed of sound in air increases with temperature.

There are several formulas for calculating the speed of sound in air as a

function of temperature.
The speed of sound in air is largely independent of amplitude and frequency.

The amplitude of a sound wave corresponds to its intensity or loudness.

The intensity of a sound is

a measure of its power density

usually measured on a logarithmic scale

discussed in more detail in another section of this book

The loudness of a sound is its intensity as perceived by the human ear.

The volume knob on a television, radio, etc. should really be given a different
name.

The frequency of a sound wave corresponds to its pitch.

The upper frequency limit for human hearing is around 18,000 to 20,000 Hz.

Frequencies above the range of human hearing are ultrasonic.

The lower frequency limit for human hearing is around 18 to 20 Hz.

Frequencies below the range of human hearing are infrasonic.

The frequency of a sound wave does not change as the sound wave propagates.

Wavelength is inversely proportional to frequency ( 1/).

o

Large objects generally produce long wavelength, low frequency sounds.

Small objects generally produce short wavelength, high frequency sounds.

The ability of an animal or electronic sensor to identify the location or direction of

origin of a sound is known as sound localization.
Sound localization requires two or more

sense organs (ears or antennae) or

electromechanical detectors (microphones)

devoted to hearing

in different locations (left and right sides of the head, for example) or

with different orientations (facing to the left or to the right).

All methods of sound localization rely on the difference in some characteristic as

perceived or measured by the two organs or detectors.

interaural level difference loudness, intensity, or amplitude

interaural time differences time of arrival

interaural phase difference phase differences

A reflected sound wave is known as an echo.

Echoes can be used to determine the distance to a reflecting surface.

2s=v

sound

Where

s = distance from the observer to the reflecting surface (note that this value is doubled since the
sound has to go out and come back),

vsound = speed of sound in the intervening medium, and

t = time between when the pulse was transmitted and when the echo was received.

This method has applications in

animal echolocation

sonar (an acronym for sound navigation and ranging)

medical ultrasonography (The images generated are called sonograms.)

Properties of Sound Waves

1. Reflection of sound waves

If a source of sound is directed at a vertical surface some distance away, an ECHO may be
heard. Sound waves "bounce" off the vertical surface, and are REFLECTED back towards
the source. Reflection of sound waves obey the laws of reflection.
The human ear cannot distinguish between two sound bursts if they are less than about
0.1 s apart. For that reason, in order to hear an echo, the reflecting object must be more
than 17 m away from the hearer (assuming sound travels at 340 ms-1).

2. Refraction of sound waves

Sound waves travel more slowly when they pass from a lighter to a heavier gas. Thus a
balloon filled with carbon dioxide acts as a converging lens, and is able to focus sound
waves:

This occurs because sound travels more slowly inside a heavier gas, and the sound waves
are refracted towards the normal. If the gas is lighter than air, the sound waves are
refacted away from the normal. A balloon filled, for example, with hydrogen, will act as a
diverging lens. See also Echolocation.)
3. Absorption of sound waves
When a sound wave impacts on an object, part of the energy of the wave is transferred to
the particles making up the object. We say that the sound has been ABSORBED by the
material. It is found that high frequency sound waves are absorbed more readily than low
frequency sounds, and so it is more accurate to talk about SELECTIVE ABSORPTION.
Absorption takes place best with soft, porous materials.
One makes use of such materials in improving the ACOUSTICS of large rooms, such as
theaters and concert halls. In these places, it is undesirable for sounds to echo, as the
short delay between the emission of the sound and its reflection results in undesirable
effects as far as the listeners are concerned. By lining the walls of the room with cork or
plastic foam tiles, the reflection of the sounds is suppressed, and the acoustics of the room
are thereby improved.
4. Resonance
Sound waves from a source may, under certain circumstances, increase or
initiate vibrations in other sources. This occurs when the frequency of the
two sources are equal.
This can easily be demonstrated by placing a vibrating tuning fork above a
straight-sided jug. By adjusting the level of water in the jug, a point is reached
when a sound is emitted by the jug when the fork is brought over its opening.

Sample Problems
1. Solve the problems involving the speed of sound in different media. Example: What is
the frequency of a 2.50 m sound wave traveling through an iron crowbar (v = 5130
m/s)?
2. Solve the problems involving sonar, or any type of echo location. Example:
Determine the depth of the ocean in a location in which the sonar signal sent from a
ship returns to the surface 4.46 seconds after it was emitted (v = 1533 m/s).
3. Solve the problems involving velocity, frequency, wavelength, and period.
Example 1: A fisherman notices that wave crests pass the bow of his anchored boat every
6.0 seconds. He estimates the distance between crests to be 20 m. About how fast are
the waves traveling?
Example 2: Determine the wavelength of a 10,000 Hz sound wave traveling along a steel
rod (v = 5130 m/s).
Example 3: Determine the frequency of a microwave whose wavelength is 1.0 cm.
Answers:
1. v = f
5130 = f(2.50)
f = 2052 Hz

2. v = d/t
1533 = d/2.23 (sound must go down and then come back up)
d = 3419 m

3. v = f
v = (1/6)(20) 6.0 s is the period, T = 1/f
v = 3.3 m/s

v = f
5130 = (10,000)
= .513 m or 51.3 cm

v = f
3.0 x 108 = f(.010)

electromagnetic waves have a velocity of 3.0 x 10 8 m/s,

f = 3.0 x 1010 Hz

wavelength must be converted to meters