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12 SOUND

TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS AND THEIR ANSWERS

Q. 1. How does the sound produced by a vibrating object in

a medium reach your ear?

Ans. Air is the commonest material through which sound

propagates. When a vibrating object, such as the prongs of
tuning fork moves forward, it pushes the molecules of the
air in front of it. This in turn compresses the air, creating a
region of high pressure and high density, commonly called
compression. The compression so produced in the air,
travels forward.

As the compression produced in the air travels forward,

the prongs of the tuning fork moves backward. They
creates a region of low pressure in the air and is
commonly called rarefaction. This region has low
pressure, low density and more volume.

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As the tuning fork or another vibrating object continues

vibrating the regions of compression in the air alternate
with the regions of rarefaction. These regions of
compression and rarefaction alternate at the same place,
but the energy of the vibrating object travels outward. It is
this energy which reaches the ears, makes the ear drums to
vibrate, and hence, we hear sound.

Q. 2. Explain how sound is produced by your school bell.

Ans. When a school bell is struck with a hammer, it starts

vibrating. During forward motion of its vibrations, a wave
of increased pressure, i.e., compression is formed. During
backward motion of its vibrations, rarefaction is produced.
Thus, sound waves are transferred from place to place due
to vibrations of the particles of the medium about their
mean position. When these vibrations in the form of
compression and rarefaction reaches our ear, results in
production of bell sounds that we hear.

Q. 3. Why are sound waves called mechanical waves?

Ans. Sound energy cannot be produced on its own. Some

mechanical energy is required to make an object vibrate. It
is the mechanical energy of the vibrating object which
always travels through a medium and cannot travel in

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vacuum and ultimately reaches the ear. Thus, the sound

waves are called mechanical waves.

Q.4. Suppose you and your friend are on the Moon. Will
you be able to hear any sound produced by your
friend?

Ans. No, you will not be able to hear any sound. It is because
Moon has no atmosphere and sound needs a medium to
propagate. Thus, no sound waves can travel to your ears,
and hence, no sound is heard.

Q.5. Which wave property determines (a) loudness (b)

pitch?

Ans. The amplitude of the wave determines the loudness, i.e.,

more the amplitude of a wave, more is the loudness
produced.

The frequency of the wave determines the pitch, i.e.,

higher the frequency of a wave, more is its pitch and more
shriller is the sound.

Q. 6. Guess which sound has a higher pitch : guitar or a car

horn?

Ans. Car horn has a higher pitch than guitar, because sound
produced by former is more shrill than the later.

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Q.7. What are wavelength, frequency, time period and

amplitude of a sound wave?

Ans. Wavelength : The linear distance between two

consecutive compressions or two consecutive rarefactions
is known as wavelength.

Frequency : The number of compressions and

rarefactions (taken together) passing through a point in
unit time is known as frequency.

Time period : The time taken by two consecutive

compressions or rarefactions to pass through a point is
known as time period.

Amplitude : The extent to which a medium is

compressed, when a sound wave passes through it, is
called amplitude.

Q. 8. How are the wavelength and frequency of a sound

wave related to its speed?

Ans. Speed of sound = Frequency Wavelength.

Q.9. Calculate the wavelength of a sound wave whose

frequency is 220 Hz and speed is 440 ms1 in a given
medium.

Ans. Frequency = 220 Hz ; speed of sound = 440 ms1

Now, Speed of sound = Frequency Wavelength

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= 220 Wavelength

440
Wavelength = m=2m
220

Q. 10. A person is listening to a tone of 500 Hz, sitting at a

distance of 450 m from the source of sound. What is
the time interval between successive compressions
from the source?

1 1
Ans. Time interval = = = 0.002 s.
Frequency 500

Q. 11. In which of the three media air, water and iron, does
sound travel the fastest at a particular temperature?

Ans. Sound travels fastest in iron as compared to water and air.

Q. 12. 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 ms1?

Ans. Distance of reflecting body from the source of sound

Speed of sound time
=
2
342 ms 1 3s
= = 513 m
2
Q. 13. Why are ceilings of concert halls curved?

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Ans. The ceiling of concert hall are curved, so that sound after
multiple reflection from it, reaches all the corners of the
hall, and hence, is audible to everyone in the hall.

Q. 14. What is the audible range of average human ear?

Ans. An average human ear can hear sound waves between

frequencies 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.

Q.15. What is the range of frequencies associated with (a)

infrasound (b) ultrasound?

Ans. (a) Sound waves between the frequencies 1 to 20 Hz are

known as infrasound.

(b) Sound waves of the frequencies 20,000 Hz and above

are known as ultrasound.

Q. 16. A submarine emits a sonar pulse, which returns from

an under water cliff in 1.02 s. If the speed of sound in
salt water is 1531 ms1, how far away is the cliff.

Ans. Distance of cliff

Speed of sound time 1531 ms 1 1.02s
= =
2 2

= 780.81 m

Q.17. What is sound and how is it produced?

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Ans. Sound is a mechanical energy which produces sensation of

hearing. Sound is produced when an object is set into
vibrations.

Q.18. Describe with the help of a diagram, how compressions

and rarefactions are produced in air near a source of
sound.

Ans. Sound in air is propagated as longitudinal waves in the

form of compressions and rarefactions. Example : We take
the case of a vibrating tuning fork. When its prong moves
towards right as in fig (a), it compresses the particles of
the air in contact with it. As air has elasticity, its particles
moves forward to compress the next layer and in turn, the
particles of the previous layer of air go farther apart
making it a layer of rarefaction. At point of compression
(C shown in figure) the pressure and density of particles
are high whereas volume is low. At the point of
rarefaction (R shown in figure), the pressure and density
of particles are low and volume is more.

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Similarly, when the prongs of tuning fork moves towards

left as shown in fig (b), a area of rarefaction is produced
towards right which also moves due to elasticity of air
causing compression and rarefaction alternately.

Q.19. Cite an experiment to show that sound needs a material

medium for its propagation?

Ans. Take an electric circuit consisting of a cell, a switch and

an electric bell is arranged inside a bell jar, which stands
on the platform of an evacuating pump.

The switch of the bell is pressed to close the electric

circuit. Sound is heard, when there is air within the bell
jar. Air is now gradually pumped out of the bell jar. The
intensity of sound goes on decreasing, and no sound is
heard when the air is completely removed from the bell jar
as shown in figure.

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It is because, the medium of air, which has to carry energy

from the bell to the bell jar, is removed.

This clearly shows that sound needs material medium for

its propagation.

Q.20. Why is sound wave called a longitudinal wave?

Ans. It is called longitudinal wave because the particles of the

medium vibrate to and fro about their mean position in the
direction of the propagation of wave.

Q.21. Which characteristic of sound helps you to identify

your friend by his voice, while sitting with others in a
dark room?

Ans. The characteristic of sound which helps to identify any

particular his voice, while sitting with others in a dark
room, is quality or timbre of sound.

Q.22. Flash and thunder are produced simultaneously, but

thunder is heard a few seconds after the flash is seen.
Why?

Ans. The speed of light is 3 108 ms1, whereas that of sound

is 344 ms1 in air. Thus, flash of lightning is seen at once,
but sound takes few seconds to reach the ears.

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Q.23. 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 frequencies? Take the speed of
sound in air as 344 ms1.

344ms 1
Ans. Wavelength of sound of frequency 20 Hz =
20s 1
Speed of sound
=
Frequency

= 1.72 m

Wavelength of sound of frequency 20,000 Hz

Speed of sound 344 ms 1
= =
Frequency 20000 s 1
= 0.0072 m
Q.24. Two children are at the opposite ends of an aluminium
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
aluminium to reach the second child. (Speed of sound
in aluminium and in air are 6420 ms1 and
346 ms1 respectively).

Time taken by sound to travel in aluminium

Ans.
Time taken by sound in air

Speed of sound in air

=
Speed of sound in aluminium

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TA1 346 ms 1
=
TAir 6420 ms 1
TA1 : TAir = 346 : 6420 = 1 : 18.55
Q.25. The frequency of a source of sound is 100 Hz. How
many times does it vibrate in a minute?

Ans. Number of vibrations produced in 1 second = 100

Number of vibrations produced in 1 minute (60s)

= 100 60 = 6000 times.

Q.28. Does sound follow the same laws of reflection as light

does? Explain.

Ans. Yes, sound and light follow the same laws of reflection as
stated below :

(a) Angle of incidence at the point of incidence is equal to

angle of reflection.

(b) The incident sound wave, the normal and the reflected
sound wave lie in the same plane at the point of incidence.

Q.27. When a sound is reflected from a distant object, an

echo is produced. If the distance between the reflecting
surface and the source of sound production remains
the same. Do you hear echo sound on a hotter day?

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Ans. Assuming the distance between the source of sound and

reflecting body is the minimum distance. If the
temperature rises, the speed of sound will increase. This in
turn will increase the minimum distance required for
hearing an echo as time is inversely proportional to speed
and directly proportional to distance according to speed =
distance / time. As the distance does not increase between
the source of sound and reflecting body, therefore, no echo
is heard.

Q.28. Give two practical applications of the reflection of

sound waves.

Ans. (i) In stethoscope, the sound of patients heartbeat reaches

the doctors ears by multiple reflections in the tubes.

(ii) Megaphones are designed to send sound waves in

particular direction, are based on the reflection of
sound.

Q.29. 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 = 10 ms2 and speed of
sound is 340 ms1.

Ans. For the downward journey of stone

Initial velocity (u) = 0

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Distance (height) of tower (S) = 500 m.

Time of fall (t1) = ? (To be calculated)

Acceleration due to gravity (g) = 10 ms2

1 2
Applying, S = ut + gt
2
1
500 m = 0 t1 + 10 ms2 t12
2

500 m = 5 t12 m s2

t2 = 100 s2

t1 = 100s 2 = 10 s

For the sound travelling upward

Total distance (height)
Time taken (t2) =
Speed of sound
500 m
= = 1.47s
340 ms 1
Time required to hear splash = t1 + t2 = 10 s + 1.47 s
= 11.47 s
Q.30. A sound wave travels at a speed of 339 ms1. If its
wavelength is 1.5 cm, what is the frequency of the
wave? Will it be audible?

Ans. Wavelength of sound wave = 1.5 cm = 0.015 m

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Speed of sound wave = 339 ms1

Speed of sound
Frequency of sound wave =
Wavelength
339 ms 1
= = 22600 Hz
0.015 m
The sound will not be audible, because humans can hear
only upto 20,000 Hz.

Q.31. What is reverberation? How can it be reduced?

Ans. The repeated multiple reflections of sound in any big

enclosed space is known as reverberation.

The reverberation can be reduced by covering the ceiling

and walls of the enclosed space with absorbing materials,
such as fibre board, loose woollens, etc.

Q.32. What is loudness of sound? What factors does it depend

upon?

Ans. The effect produced in the brain by the sound of different

frequencies is called loudness of sound.

The loudness of sound increases with the increase in

amplitude and the area of the vibrating body. It also
depends on the distance of the observer from the source of
sound, i.e., lesser the distance, louder is the sound.

Q.33. Explain how bats use ultrasound to catch prey.

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Ans. Bats searches out prey and fly in the dark night by
emitting ultrasonic waves. The high-pitched ultrasonic
squeaks of the bat are reflected from the prey and is
returned to the bats ear. The reflection tells the bat where
the prey is.

Q.34. How is ultrasound used for cleaning?

Ans. The object to be cleaned is placed in a tank fitted with

ultrasonic vibrator. The tank is filled with water
containing detergent. When the ultrasonic vibrator is
switched on, the detergent particles rub against the object
at a very very high speed and hence, clean it.

Q.35. Explain the working and application of sonar.

Ans. Sonar is a device fitted in sailing ships, trawlers, war

ships, etc., to locate submarines or shoals of fish or depth
of ocean bed.

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To find the depth of an ocean, a strong ultrasonic wave

from the ship is sent towards the bottom of ocean. On
striking the bottom of ocean, the ultrasonic wave is
reflected upward towards the ship. The reflected wave is
received by a suitable receiver. The time taken by the
wave to travel from the source of sound to the receiver is
recorded. Knowing the velocity of sound in water, the
depth of ocean floor is calculated by the following
formula:

Velocity of sound in sea water Time

Depth of ocean floor =
2
For example, if it takes 2.4 seconds to record echo by the
sonar and velocity of sound in sea water is 1450 ms1
then :

1450 ms 1 2.4s
Depth of ocean floor = = 1740 m.
2
Q.36. A sonar device on a submarine sends out a signal and
receives an echo 5 seconds later. Calculate the speed of
sound in water, if the distance of object from the
submarine is 3625 m.

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2 Distance 2 3625m
Ans. Speed of sound = = = 1450 ms1
Time 5s
Q.37. Explain how defects in a metal block can be detected by
using ultrasound.

Ans. The ultrasound waves are allowed to pass through metal

block to which are fitted detectors to detect the waves. If
the metal block has a very small defect, such as an air
bubble or a crack, then the ultrasound waves are reflected
from such spots. The reflected ultrasonic waves indicates
that metal block is defective.

Q.38. Explain how the human ear works.

Ans. The pinna collects the sound waves and then directs them
through ear canal. The sound waves on striking the ear
drum, make it vibrate exactly the same way as the given
sound emitting object.

When the ear drum vibrates, the bones in the middle ear
starts vibrating and help in magnifying the vibrations.
When the magnified vibrations reach the cochlea in the
inner ear, the fluid in it starts vibrating. These vibrations
are picked by sensory receptors and then converted into
electrical signals. The electrical signals then travel to the
brain, which ultimately, are interpreted sound.

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