SOUND

In some cases, the vibrations are easily visible to

our naked eyes but in some cases they can only be
felt and not seen.

When a person speaks, the molecules in the air

near his mouth are disturbed. Due to this, these
molecules start vibrating to-and-fro about their
mean positions. These vibrating molecules then
disturb the nearby molecules. This process
continues until the molecules in the air next to the
listener's ear start vibrating. These vibrating
molecules then cause vibrations in the diaphragm
of the listener's ear and the sound is heard.

Have you carefully watched a child on a swing ? The

swing repeats its updown and forward-backward
motion in a regular fashion. The swing moves to-
and-fro on the same path with its mean position in
the middle. The motion like that of a swing is
called oscillatory motion.
Sound is a form of energy that produces the Some examples of oscillatory motion are :
sensation of hearing in our ears. The speed of (a) motion of the pendulum of a wall clock,
108
light is 3 × m/s and the speed of sound in the (b) vibrating string of a musical instrument.
air under normal conditions is 340 m/s. So, the (c) motion of the heart muscles in a healthy
light travels almost instantaneously, whereas person.
sound takes some time.
When a body undergoes an oscillatory motion, it
passes through a particular position at regular
intervals of time. Therefore, oscillatory motion is
Sound is produced by vibrations. Thus, vibrating a periodic motion.
bodies produce sound.
 Oscillation
The movement of a body from one extreme
position to the other and back is called an
 oscillation. In the figure shown the movement of called the audible range. Thus, the audible range
the bob from B to C and back to B is one of a normal human ear is 20 to 20000 Hz.
complete oscillation.
 The sound in the audible range (20 to 20000
Hz) is called sonic sound. An infant (about 1
year old) can hear sounds up to 35000 Hz.
This limit gradually comes down to 20000 Hz
for an adult.
Also, the motion of the bob from A to B, B to C
and then from C to A is one complete oscillation.  The sound of frequencies greater than 20,000
Hz is called ultrasonic sound.
 Amplitude of Oscillation (A)
 The sound of frequencies lower than 20 Hz is
The maximum displacement of a body from its called subsonic or infrasonic sound.
mean position is called the amplitude of
subsonic sound  Less than 20 Hz
oscillation. Thus, in the figure shown, the
sonic sound  20 Hz to 20000 Hz
displacement AB or AC is called amplitude of the
oscillating bob. Amplitude is denoted by A. ultrasonic sound  Greater than 20000 Hz

For a body oscillating in the air, the amplitude of

oscillation gradually decreases due to the air-
resistance.

 Time period (T)

Certain animals such as dog, leopard, monkey and
The time taken to complete one oscillation is called deer can hear ultrasonic sounds. Certain birds like
its time period. Time period is denoted by T. In the bat can produce sounds of very high frequencies.
figure, the time taken by the bob to travel from B A bat is able to locate any obstacle or its prey in
to C and back to B is called is its time period. its path due to reflection of the ultrasonic wave
As long as the amplitude of oscillation is small, from the object. Dolphins use ultrasonic sound to
the pendulum takes equal intervals of time to locate their prey.
complete each oscillation.
 Technological / Industrial Applications of
 Frequency of Oscillation
Ultrasonic Sound
The number of oscillations made by an oscillating
Ultrasonic waves have short wavelength.
body in one second is called the frequency of
These short wavelength sound waves can be
oscillation.
reflected back from the smaller objects. Thus,
Frequency () is related to the time period (T) by
ultrasound can detect or 'see' smaller objects
the relationship,
(< 1 cm size). The ultrasonic waves do not get
Frequency,  = 1/T scattered.
The unit of frequency of oscillation is hertz (Hz). Some important technological and industrial uses of
1 Hz = 1 cycle per second ultrasonic waves are described below :
 Ultrasonic waves are used to drive away rats,
cockroaches etc.
 Ultrasonic waves are used for detecting any
The human ear can hear the sounds having deformity in the unborne baby.
frequencies between 20 Hz to 20000 Hz. This is
  Ultrasonic waves are also used for walls, reach our ears almost at the same time. As a
determining the depth of sea. result, we hear only one sound.
 Ultrasonic waves are also used for detecting When the sound gets reflected from a surface
the presence of submarines, icebergs, sunken which is far away, we hear two sounds. The first
ships etc., in the sea. This technique is called sound is the sound which reaches us directly from
by the name SONAR (Sound Navigation and the source. The second sound is the sound which
Ranging). reaches us after suffering reflection from the far
off surfaces.
The sound which is received after reflection from
a far off object is called an echo.
An echo is produced only when the listener is at a
distance of 11 metres or more from the reflecting
surface.
You have learnt that vibrations produce sound. To
produce & travelling of vibrations, we need a  Applications of Echo-sounding
material body. Therefore, we can say that a Determining the distance of a sound-reflecting
medium is needed for sound to travel. surface by producing echo is called echo-
sounding. This method is also called Sound
Navigation and Ranging (SONAR).
Echo-sounding (or Sonar) is used
Sound travels at different speeds in different  for determining the depth of a sea
media .  by ships to detect submarines

Medium Air (dry) Water Steel  by bats and dolphins to locate any obstacle in
their path.
Speed of
330 m/s 1500 m/s 6000 m/s To measure the depth of a sea, pulse of ultrasonic
sound at 0°C
sound (high frequency sound) waves are sent
As per definition, down into the sea from a ship. These pulses after
suffering reflection from the sea-bed are received
Speed of sound
back on the ship. The time taken by the sound to
= travel down and return back to the ship is
measured. By knowing the speed of sound in the
sea water, the depth of the sea at that place can be
determined.
Depth of the sea
Like light, sound also gets reflected from a hard
surface. = × Total distance travelled by the sound pulse

 Echo or Depth of the sea

When sound waves strike a hard surface, they get
= × Speed of sound in sea water × Total time taken
reflected.
In a small room, the sound that reacthes us Ex. A ship out a sound wave and receives an echo
directly and the one which gets reflected from the after 1 second. If the speed of sound in water is
 1500 m/s. What is the depth of the sea at that  Quality
point ? Quality of a sound is also called its tone. We can
Sol. Given : easily distinguish between the sounds produced
Total time taken by the sound wave = 1s by different sources. Let us see how does it
Speed of sound in the sea water = 1500 m/s become possible. A tuning fork produces the
sound of a single frequency. Most other
Then, depth of the sea
instruments usually produce sounds (called notes)
= × Speed of sound × Total time taken which consist of a basic or fundamental frequency
and a number of overtones or harmonics of
or, depth of the sea = × 1500 m/s × 1s = 750 m different loudness.
Different instruments, depending on their shape
and size, produce different number of harmonic of
different relative loudness. As a result, the sound
produced by an instrument can be distinguished
A sound is characterised by the following from that produced by other instruments.
characterisitcs :

1. Loudness
2. Pitch
3. Quality or tone Loud and harsh sound is called noise. Noise is
produced by irregular vibrations.
 Loudness
The disturbance caused by an undesirated loud
Loudness of a sound depends on the amplitude of
sound of different kinds is called noise pollution.
the vibration producing that sound. Greater is the
Noise pollution is caused by motors, trains,
amplitude of vibration, louder is the sound
aeroplanes, radio, T.V. and loudspeakers etc.
produced by it.
The loudness of a sound also depends on the  Effect of Noise Pollution
quantity of air that is made to vibrate. Loudness of Noise pollution may cause,
sound is measured in decibel (dB) unit.  Hearing loss – prolonged exposure to high
 Pitch noise level can lead to loss of hearing.

The shrillness of a sound is called its pitch. The  Fatigue

pitch of a sound depends upon its frequency.  High blood pressure
Higher the frequency of a sound, higher is its  Extreme emotional behavior.
pitch.
 Ways to Reduce Noise Level
The voice of a child or a women has higher
Noise level can be reduced by the following
frequency than the voice of a man.
activities :
That is why, the voice of a child or a woman is
 Setting up of industry away from the
more shrill as compared to the voice of a man.
residential areas and planting more trees.
The stretched membrane of a tabla or mridangam
 Restricted use of loudspeakers, amplifiers,
produces sound of a higher frequency (or of
and upto horns.
higher pitch).
 Using soft/carpeted floors, curtains and sound Our ears are very delicated and frangile organs.
absorbers such as cork thermocole indoor can Proper care must be taken to keep them in healthy
reduce the noise level. state.
Some suggestions to keep the ears healthy are
given below :
Never insert any pointed object into the ear. It
can damage the eardrum and make a person
Sound waves from outside are collected by the deaf.
outer ear and reach the eardrum. When the sound  Never shout loudly into someone's ear.
waves strike the eardrum, it starts vibrating. These  Never hit anyone hard on his/her ear.
vibrations are passed on to the oval window by
three bones (called the hammer, anvil and stirrup)
which act as a lever with the pivot at point P.
They magnify the force of the vibrations. The
oval window has a smaller area than the eardrum.
So this increases pressure on the oval window and
on the liquid in the cochlea.

The vibrations of the liquid in the cochlea affect

thousands of auditory nerves which send message
to the brain.
 EXERCISE-1
Q.22 What are vocal cords ? What is their
function?
Q.23 How is that you can hear a friend talking in
A. another room without seeing him ?
Q.1 Define vibration. Q.24 List sources of noise pollution in your
Q.2 How is sound produced ? surroundings.
Q.3 Can sound travel in vacuum ? Q.25 What are the effects of noise pollution ?
Q.4 What is meant by oscillatory motion ? Q.26 A pendulum oscillates 40 times in 4 seconds.
Find its time period and frequency.
Q.5 Define frequency.
Q.27 Your parents are going to buy a house. They
Q.6 Define 1 hertz.
have been offered one on the roadside and
Q.7 Define amplitude. another three lanes away from the roadside.
Q.8 What is audible range of sound ? Which house would you suggest your parents
Q.9 Name the equipment which works at should buy ? Explain your answer.
frequencies greater than 20,000 Hz. Q.28 How can the noise pollution be controlled in
Q.10 What is noise ? residential area ?
Q.11 In which unit loudness is expressed ? Q.29 Can you hear the sound on the moon?
Explain.
Q.12 Name the SI units of (i) time period
(ii) frequency.
Q.13 In which state of matter does sound travel the
(i) slowest (ii) faster ?
Q.14 What happens to sound when it strikes a
Q.30 Lightning and thunder take place in the sky at
surface ?
the same time and at the same distance from
us. Lightning is seen earlier and thunder is
heard later. Can you explain why ?
Q.31 (a) What is SONAR ?
(b) What is the basic principle of its working?
Q.15 The sound from a mosquito is produced when
(c) Explain its use.
it vibrates its wings at an average rate of 500
vibrations per second. What is the time period Q.32 What is the use of ultrasound in medicine and
of the vibration ? industry ?
Q.16 How can we control the sources of noise Q.33 (a) Name the properties of sound which is
pollution ? (i) similar to the property of light.
Q.17 What is relation between loudness of sound (ii) different from that of light
and amplitude ? (b) Why do some people have hearing
Q.18 The frequency of a given sound is 1.5 KHz. impairment ? How do they communicate with
How many vibrations is it completing in one others ?
second ?
Q.19 Which characteristic of a vibrating body
determines (a) loudness (b) pitch of the
sound produced by it.
Q.20 Why do we hear the thunder a little after we
see the flash of lightning ?
Q.21 Why do we not hear echoes in our ordinary
surroundings ?
 EXERCISE-2

Q.11 The maximum distance of a vibrating body

from its mean position is called its –
(A) Frequency (B) Quality
A.Q.1 Sound cannot travel through
(A) air (B) water (C) Amplitude (D) Pitch
(C) iron (D) vacuum
Q.12 The loudness of a sound depends upon its–
Q.2 The audible range of frequency is (A) Amplitude (B) Frequency
(A) 200-2000 Hz (B) 20-20000 Hz
(C) Pitch (D) None of these
(C) 20-23000 Hz (D) 220-20000 Hz

Q.3 A tightened string of instrument produces Q.13 The pitch of a sound depends upon its –
sound of ......... frequency, a (A) Amplitude (B) Frequency
(A) lower (B) higher (C) Quality (D) None of these
(C) same (D) none of these

Q.4 An object produces a sound of 15 Hz. Which Q.14 Two wires A and B of equal length differ
of the following is correct ? only in their thickness. A is thinner than B. If
(A) this sound can be heard by us both are plucked with same force, then–
(B) this sound cannot be heard by us (A) A will produce sound of higher pitch than B
(C) it does not produce sound
(B) A will produce sound of lower pitch tha B
(D) this sound can be heard only through
solids (C) Both will produce sounds of equal pitch
(D) None of these
Q.5 A mosquito produces sound by vibrating its...
(A) wings (B) vocal cords
(C) legs (D) body Q.15 Which of the following are used in
dishwasher or to wash the machines ?
Q.6 Violin is a musical instrument with ........
(A) stretched bow (A) Infra-sonic waves
(B) stretched string (B) Ultra-sonic waves
(C) stretched membrane (C) Both (A) and (B)
(D) none of these (D) Neither (A) nor (B)
Q.7 Loudness is the measure of ......... of a sound.
(A) shrillness (B) heaviness Q.16 Which of the following sounds has the
(C) Length (D) Pitch greatest frequency ?
(A) man's voice
Q.8 The level of normal conversation is about.....
dB. (B) woman's voice
(A) 40-60 (B) 100-200 (C) boy's voice
(C) below 60 (D) 60-100 (D) all have the same frequency

Q.9 Late Ustad Bismillah Khan was a famous....

Q.17 The sound waves travel the slowest in –
player.
(A) Dry air (B) Moist air
(A) Flute (B) Table
(C) Liquid water (D) Ice
(C) Guitar (D) Shehnai

Q.10 The frequency of a sound wave is Q.18 For an echo to be distinguishable from sound,
(A) Directly proportional to time period the minimum time difference is –
(B) Inversely proportional to time period (A) 1 sec (B) 0.1 sec
(C) Equal to the time period (C) 0.01 sec (D) 10 sec
(D) Has no relation with time period
Q.19 Which of the following is the correct group of Q.23 Which of the following is not a stringed
wind instruments – instrument ?
(A) Violin, drum, nadaswaram (A) Sitar (B) Tabla
(B) Shehnai, flute, nadaswaram (C) Violin (D) Guitar
(C) Shehnai, flute, cymbals
(D) Gongs, jaltarang, shehnai Q.24 Sound travels in air at 0ºC with a velocity of
about
Q.20 Sound cannot be associated with (A) 300 m/s (B) 330 m/s
(A) hearing (B) frequency (C) 360 m/s (D) 380 m/s
(C) wave (D) sunlight
Q.25 Velocity of sound in water is about
Q.21 Sound is caused due to (A) 340 m/s (B) 420 m/s
(A) propagation of light (C) 1000 m/s (D) 1500 m/s
(B) vibrations
(C) change in physical state Q.26 If a pendulum has a time period of 3 second,
(D) clouds then its frequency is
(A) 3 Hz (B) 0.5 Hz
Q.22 The minimum distance required to produce a (C) 3 s (D) 0.33 Hz
distinct echo is
(A) 10 m (B) 11 m
(C) 15 m (D) 17 m
 ANSWERS
EXERCISE-1
= 1500 vibrations
Sol.19 (a) Amplitude
(b) Frequency.
Sol.20 We hear the thunder a little after we see the
Sol.1 Vibration is the to and fro or back and forth
flash of lightning because the speed of sound
motion of an object.
is less than the speed of light.
Sol.2 Sound is produced by a vibrating body.
Sol.21 We do not hear echoes in our ordinary
Sol.3 No, sound cannot travel in vacuum.
surroundings because the distance to hear
Sol.4 The to and fro motion of an object is known
echo should be more than 17 m.
as oscillatory motion.
Sol.22 The larynx has a pair of membranes known as
Sol.5 The number of oscillations per second is
vocal cords stretched across their length. The
called the frequency of oscillation.
vocal cords vibrate and produce sound.
Sol.6 A frequency of 1 hertz means one oscillation
Sol.23 Sound can travel in all directions and around
per sound.
corners. Light cannot travel around corners.
Sol.7 The maximum distance to which a vibrating
Therefore, we can hear a friend talking in
body moves on either side of its mean
another room but cannot see him.
position is called the amplitude of vibration.
Sol.24 The major sources of noise pollution are
Sol.8 The range of the sound which can be heard by
sounds of vehicles, explosions, machines,
human ear is known as audible sound.
loudspeakers.
Sol.9 Ultrasound equipment.
Sol.25 Due to noise pollution a person may suffer
Sol.10 Unpleasant sounds are called noise
from lack of sleep, hypertension and anxiety.
Sol.11 Loudness is expressed in a unit called decibel
If a person is exposed to noise continuously
(dB).
he may get temporary or permanent deafness.
Sol.12 (i) Second
Sol.26 40 vibrations in 4 seconds.
(ii) Hertz
10 vibrations in 1 seconds.
Sol.13 (i) Air
 Frequency = 10 vibrations/sec. or 10 Hz.
(ii) Solids
Time period = 1/10 sec.
Sol.14 Sound gets reflected on striking a surface.
Sol.27 I would advise my parents to buy the house
three lanes away from the roadside because
there the noise from automobiles would be
B. much less.
Sol.15 Time taken for 500 vibrations = 1 second Sol.28 (a) The noisy operations must be conducted
Time taken for 1 vibrations = 1/500 second. away from residential areas.
Time period = 1/500 second. (b) Noise producing industries should be set
Sol.16 We can control noise pollution by designing away from such areas.
and installing silencing devices in machines. (c) Use of automobile horns be minimized.
Sol.17 Loudness of sound is proportional to the (d) TV and music systems should be run at
square of the amplitude of vibrations lower volumes.
producing the sound. Sol.29 We cannot hear the sound on the moon
Sol.18 Frequency = because sound requires a material medium to
No. of vibrations = Frequency × time travel. On the moon there is no atmosphere
= 1.5 × 1000 × 1 and sound cannot travel in vacuum.
 (b) in dish washing machines where water
and detergent are vibrate with ultrasonic
vibrators.
C.
(c) for homogenising milk in milk plants.
Sol.30 The speed of light is more that the speed of
Sol.33 (a) (i) The property of sound similar to light
sound. Therefore, even though thunder and
is that in both reflection takes place.
lightning take place simultaneously, we see
(ii) Sound can travel around corners but light
the lightning earlier.
cannot.
Sol.31 (a) SONAR refers to Sound Navigation and
(b) Some people suffer from hearing
Ranging.
impairment because their ear drum is
(b) The principle of reflection of sound is
damaged or absent. This can be from
used in SONAR.
birth or may occur later on. Such people
(c) SONAR is used to measure the depth of
communicate with "sign language".
the ocean. Ultrasonic waves are sent from
They can also use "hearing aids".
the ship down into the sea. They are
received back after reflection from the
sea bed. The depth is calculated by noting
the time period.
Sol.32 Use of ultrasound in medicine :
(a) for scanning and imaging the body for
stones, tumour and foetus.
(b) for relieving pain in muscles and joints.

Use of ultrasound in industry :

(a) for detecting finer faults in metal sheets. `

ANSWER KEY
EXERCISE-2