Everyday we hear sounds from varioussources like humans, birds, bells, machines,vehicles, televisions, radios etc. Sound is aform of energy which produces a sensationof hearing in our ears. There are also otherforms of energy like mechanical energy, heatenergy, light energy etc. We have talked aboutmechanical energy in the previous chapters.You have been taught about conservation ofenergy, which states that we can neithercreate nor destroy energy. We can justchange it from one form to another. Whenyou clap, a sound is produced. Can youproduce sound without utilising your energy?Which form of energy did you use to producesound? In this chapter we are going to learnhow sound is produced and how it istransmitted through a medium and receivedby our ear.

12.1 Production of Sound

Activity _____________12.1• Take a tuning fork and set it vibrating

by striking its prong on a rubber pad.Bring it near your ear.

• Do you hear any sound?• Touch one of the prongs of the vibrating

tuning fork with your finger and shareyour experience with your friends.

• Now, suspend a table tennis ball or asmall plastic ball by a thread from asupport [Take a big needle and athread, put a knot at one end of thethread, and then with the help of theneedle pass the thread through theball]. Touch the ball gently with theprong of a vibrating tuningfork (Fig. 12.1).

• Observe what happens and discusswith your friends.

Activity _____________12.2• Fill water in a beaker or a glass up to

the brim. Gently touch the water surfacewith one of the prongs of the vibratingtuning fork, as shown in Fig. 12.2.

• Next dip the prongs of the vibratingtuning fork in water, as shown in Fig.12.3.

• Observe what happens in both thecases.

• Discuss with your friends why thishappens.

Fig. 12.1: Vibrating tuning fork just touching thesuspended table tennis ball.

Fig. 12.2: One of the prongs of the vibrating tuningfork touching the water surface.

1212121212SSSSSOUNDOUNDOUNDOUNDOUND

Chapter

plucked vibrates and produces sound. If youhave never done this, then do it and observethe vibration of the stretched rubber band.

Activity _____________12.3• Make a list of different types of musical

instruments and discuss with yourfriends which part of the instrumentvibrates to produce sound.

12.2 Propagation of SoundSound is produced by vibrating objects. Thematter or substance through which soundis transmitted is called a medium. It can besolid, liquid or gas. Sound moves through amedium from the point of generation to thelistener. When an object vibrates, it sets theparticles of the medium around it vibrating.The particles do not travel all the way fromthe vibrating object to the ear. A particle ofthe medium in contact with the vibratingobject is first displaced from its equilibriumposition. It then exerts a force on the adjacentparticle. As a result of which the adjacentparticle gets displaced from its position ofrest. After displacing the adjacent particle thefirst particle comes back to its originalposition. This process continues in themedium till the sound reaches your ear. Thedisturbance created by a source of sound in

Fig. 12.3: Both the prongs of the vibrating tuning

fork dipped in water.

From the above activities what do youconclude? Can you produce sound withouta vibrating object?

In the above activities we have producedsound by striking the tuning fork. We canalso produce sound by plucking, scratching,rubbing, blowing or shaking different objects.As per the above activities what do we do tothe objects? We set the objects vibrating andproduce sound. Vibration means a kind ofrapid to and fro motion of an object. Thesound of the human voice is produced dueto vibrations in the vocal cords. When a birdflaps its wings, do you hear any sound? Thinkhow the buzzing sound accompanying a beeis produced. A stretched rubber band when

Fig. 12.4: A beam of light from a light source is made to fall on a mirror. The reflected light is falling on the wall.

Can sound make a light spot dance?

Take a tin can. Remove both ends to make it a hollow cylinder. Take a balloon and stretchit over the can, then wrap a rubber band around the balloon. Take a small piece of mirror.Use a drop of glue to stick the piece of mirror to the balloon. Allow the light through a slitto fall on the mirror. After reflection the light spot is seen on the wall, as shown in Fig.12.4. Talk or shout directly into the open end of the can and observe the dancing light spoton the wall. Discuss with your friends what makes the light spot dance.

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the medium travels through the medium andnot the particles of the medium.

A wave is a disturbance that movesthrough a medium when the particles of themedium set neighbouring particles intomotion. They in turn produce similar motionin others. The particles of the medium do notmove forward themselves, but thedisturbance is carried forward. This is whathappens during propagation of sound in amedium, hence sound can be visualised as awave. Sound waves are characterised by themotion of particles in the medium and arecalled mechanical waves.

Air is the most common medium throughwhich sound travels. When a vibrating objectmoves forward, it pushes and compresses theair in front of it creating a region of highpressure. This region is called a compression(C), as shown in Fig. 12.5. This compressionstarts to move away from the vibrating object.When the vibrating object moves backwards,it creates a region of low pressure calledrarefaction (R), as shown in Fig. 12.5. As theobject moves back and forth rapidly, a seriesof compressions and rarefactions is createdin the air. These make the sound wave thatpropagates through the medium.Compression is the region of high pressureand rarefaction is the region of low pressure.Pressure is related to the number of particlesof a medium in a given volume. More densityof the particles in the medium gives morepressure and vice versa. Thus, propagationof sound can be visualised as propagation ofdensity variations or pressure variations inthe medium.

uestion1. How does the sound produced by

a vibrating object in a mediumreach your ear?

12.2.1 SOUND NEEDS A MEDIUM TO TRAVEL

Sound is a mechanical wave and needs amaterial medium like air, water, steel etc. forits propagation. It cannot travel throughvacuum, which can be demonstrated by thefollowing experiment.

Take an electric bell and an airtight glassbell jar. The electric bell is suspended insidethe airtight bell jar. The bell jar is connectedto a vacuum pump, as shown in Fig. 12.6. Ifyou press the switch you will be able to hearthe bell. Now start the vacuum pump. Whenthe air in the jar is pumped out gradually,the sound becomes fainter, although thesame current is passing through the bell.After some time when less air is left insidethe bell jar you will hear a very feeble sound.What will happen if the air is removedcompletely? Will you still be able to hear thesound of the bell?

Fig. 12.5: A vibrating object creating a series ofcompressions (C) and rarefactions (R) inthe medium.

Q

Fig. 12.6: Bell jar experiment showing sound cannottravel in vacuum.

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waves. In these waves the individual particlesof the medium move in a direction parallel tothe direction of propagation of thedisturbance. The particles do not move fromone place to another but they simply oscillateback and forth about their position of rest.This is exactly how a sound wave propagates,hence sound waves are longitudinal waves.

There is also another type of wave, calleda transverse wave. In a transverse waveparticles do not oscillate along the line ofwave propagation but oscillate up and downabout their mean position as the wave travels.Thus a transverse wave is the one in whichthe individual particles of the medium moveabout their mean positions in a directionperpendicular to the direction of wavepropagation. Light is a transverse wave butfor light, the oscillations are not of themedium particles or their pressure or density– it is not a mechanical wave. You will cometo know more about transverse waves inhigher classes.

12.2.3 CHARACTERISTICS OF A SOUND WAVE

We can describe a sound wave by its• frequency• amplitude and• speed.

A sound wave in graphic form is shownin Fig. 12.8(c), which represents how densityand pressure change when the sound wavemoves in the medium. The density as well asthe pressure of the medium at a given timevaries with distance, above and below theaverage value of density and pressure.Fig. 12.8(a) and Fig. 12.8(b) represent thedensity and pressure variations, respectively,as a sound wave propagates in the medium.

Compressions are the regions whereparticles are crowded together andrepresented by the upper portion of the curvein Fig. 12.8(c). The peak represents the regionof maximum compression. Thus,compressions are regions where density aswell as pressure is high. Rarefactions are theregions of low pressure where particles arespread apart and are represented by the

uestions1. Explain how sound is produced

by your school bell.2. Why are sound waves called

mechanical waves?3. Suppose you and your friend are

on the moon. Will you be able tohear any sound produced byyour friend?

12.2.2 SOUND WAVES ARE LONGITUDINAL

WAVES

Activity _____________12.4• Take a slinky. Ask your friend to hold

one end. You hold the other end.Now stretch the slinky as shown inFig. 12.7 (a). Then give it a sharp pushtowards your friend.

• What do you notice? If you move yourhand pushing and pulling the slinkyalternatively, what will you observe?

• If you mark a dot on the slinky, youwill observe that the dot on the slinkywill move back and forth parallel to thedirection of the propagation of thedisturbance.

Fig. 12.7: Longitudinal wave in a slinky.

The regions where the coils become closerare called compressions (C) and the regionswhere the coils are further apart are calledrarefactions (R). As we already know, soundpropagates in the medium as a series ofcompressions and rarefactions. Now, we cancompare the propagation of disturbance in aslinky with the sound propagation in themedium. These waves are called longitudinal

Q

(a)

(b)

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Frequency tells us how frequently anevent occurs. Suppose you are beating adrum. How many times you are beating thedrum per unit time is called the frequency ofyour beating the drum. We know that whensound is propagated through a medium, thedensity of the medium oscillates between amaximum value and a minimum value. Thechange in density from the maximum valueto the minimum value, again to the maximumvalue, makes one complete oscillation. Thenumber of such oscillations per unit time isthe frequency of the sound wave. If we cancount the number of the compressions orrarefactions that cross us per unit time, wewill get the frequency of the sound wave. It isusually represented by ν (Greek letter, nu).Its SI unit is hertz (symbol, Hz).

The time taken by two consecutivecompressions or rarefactions to cross a fixedpoint is called the time period of the wave. Inother words, we can say that the time takenfor one complete oscillation in the density ofthe medium is called the time period of the

valley, that is, the lower portion of the curvein Fig. 12.8(c). A peak is called the crest anda valley is called the trough of a wave.

The distance between two consecutivecompressions (C) or two consecutiverarefactions (R) is called the wavelength, asshown in Fig. 12.8(c), The wavelength isusually represented by λ (Greek letterlambda). Its SI unit is metre (m).

Heinrich Rudolph Hertzwas born on 22 February1857 in Hamburg,Germany and educated atthe University of Berlin. Heconfirmed J.C. Maxwell’selectromagnetic theory byhis experiments. He laid thefoundation for future

development of radio, telephone, telegraphand even television. He also discovered thephotoelectric effect which was laterexplained by Albert Einstein. The SI unitof frequency was named as hertz in hishonour.

Fig. 12.8: Sound propagates as density or pressure variations as shown in (a) and (b), (c) representsgraphically the density and pressure variations.

H. R. Hertz

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sound wave. It is represented by the symbolT. Its SI unit is second (s). Frequency andtime period are related as follows:

.1

=νT

A violin and a flute may both be playedat the same time in an orchestra. Bothsounds travel through the same medium,that is, air and arrive at our ear at the sametime. Both sounds travel at the same speedirrespective of the source. But the soundswe receive are different. This is due to thedifferent characteristics associated with thesound. Pitch is one of the characteristics.

How the brain interprets the frequencyof an emitted sound is called the pitch. Thefaster the vibration of the source, the higheris the frequency and the higher is the pitch,as shown in Fig. 12.9. Thus, a high pitchsound corresponds to more number ofcompressions and rarefactions passing afixed point per unit time.

Objects of different sizes and conditionsvibrate at different frequencies to producesounds of different pitch.

The magnitude of the maximumdisturbance in the medium on either side ofthe mean value is called the amplitude of thewave. It is usually represented by the letterA, as shown in Fig. 12.8(c). For sound itsunit will be that of density or pressure.

The loudness or softness of a sound isdetermined basically by its amplitude. Theamplitude of the sound wave depends uponthe force with which an object is made tovibrate. If we strike a table lightly, we hear asoft sound because we produce a sound waveof less energy (amplitude). If we hit the tablehard we hear a loud sound. Can you tell why?Loud sound can travel a larger distance as itis associated with higher energy. A soundwave spreads out from its source. As it movesaway from the source its amplitude as wellas its loudness decreases. Fig. 12.10 showsthe wave shapes of a loud and a soft soundof the same frequency.

Fig. 12.9: Low pitch sound has low frequency andhigh pitch of sound has high frequency.

Fig. 12.10: Soft sound has small amplitude andlouder sound has large amplitude.

The quality or timber of sound is thatcharacteristic which enables us todistinguish one sound from another havingthe same pitch and loudness. The soundwhich is more pleasant is said to be of a rich

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quality. A sound of single frequency is calleda tone. The sound which is produced due toa mixture of several frequencies is called anote and is pleasant to listen to. Noise isunpleasant to the ear! Music is pleasant tohear and is of rich quality.

uestions1. Which wave property determines

(a) loudness, (b) pitch?2. Guess which sound has a higher

pitch: guitar or car horn?

The speed of sound is defined as thedistance which a point on a wave, such as acompression or a rarefaction, travels per unittime.We know,

speed, v = distance / time

= λT

Here λ is the wavelength of the sound wave.It is the distance travelled by the sound wavein one time period (T) of the wave. Thus,

v = λ ν 1T

⎛ ⎞=⎜ ⎟⎝ ⎠Q ν

or v = λ νThat is, speed = wavelength × frequency.

The speed of sound remains almost thesame for all frequencies in a given mediumunder the same physical conditions.

Example 12.1 A sound wave has afrequency of 2 kHz and wave length35 cm. How long will it take to travel1.5 km?

Solution:

Given,Frequency, ν = 2 kHz = 2000 HzWavelength, λ = 35 cm = 0.35 mWe know that speed, v of the wave

= wavelength frequencyv = λ ν

= 0.35 m × 2000 Hz = 700 m/s

The time taken by the wave to travel adistance, d of 1.5 km is

Thus sound will take 2.1 s to travel adistance of 1.5 km.

uestions1. What are wavelength, frequency,

time period and amplitude of asound wave?

2. How are the wavelength andfrequency of a sound waverelated to its speed?

3. Calculate the wavelength of asound wave whose frequency is220 Hz and speed is 440 m/s ina given medium.

4. A person is listening to a tone of500 Hz sitting at a distance of450 m from the source of thesound. What is the time intervalbetween successive compressionsfrom the source?

The amount of sound energy passing eachsecond through unit area is called theintensity of sound. We sometimes use theterms “loudness” and “intensity”interchangeably, but they are not the same.Loudness is a measure of the response of theear to the sound. Even when two sounds areof equal intensity, we may hear one as louderthan the other simply because our ear detectsit better.

uestion1. Distinguish between loudness

and intensity of sound.

12.2.4 SPEED OF SOUND IN DIFFERENT

MEDIA

Sound propagates through a medium at afinite speed. The sound of a thunder is hearda little later than the flash of light is seen.

Q Q

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So, we can make out that sound travels witha speed which is much less than the speedof light. The speed of sound depends on theproperties of the medium through which ittravels. You will learn about this dependencein higher classes. The speed of sound in amedium depends also on temperature andpressure of the medium. The speed of sounddecreases when we go from solid to gaseousstate. In any medium as we increase thetemperature the speed of sound increases.For example, the speed of sound in air is331 m s–1 at 0 ºC and 344 m s–1 at 22 ºC. Thespeeds of sound at a particular temperaturein various media are listed in Table 12.1. Youneed not memorise the values.

Sonic boom: When the speed of any objectexceeds the speed of sound it is said to betravelling at supersonic speed. Bullets, jetaircrafts etc. often travel at supersonicspeeds. When a sound, producing sourcemoves with a speed higher than that ofsound, it produces shock waves in air.These shock waves carry a large amountof energy. The air pressure variationassociated with this type of shock wavesproduces a very sharp and loud soundcalled the “sonic boom”. The shock wavesproduced by a supersonic aircraft haveenough energy to shatter glass and evendamage buildings.

12.3 Reflection of SoundSound bounces off a solid or a liquid like arubber ball bounces off a wall. Like light,sound gets reflected at the surface of a solidor liquid and follows the same laws ofreflection as you have studied in earlierclasses. The directions in which the soundis incident and is reflected make equal angleswith the normal to the reflecting surface, andthe three are in the same plane. An obstacleof large size which may be polished or roughis needed for the reflection of sound waves.

Activity _____________12.5• Take two identical pipes, as shown in

Fig. 12.11. You can make the pipesusing chart paper. The length of thepipes should be sufficiently longas shown.

• Arrange them on a table near a wall.• Keep a clock near the open end of one

of the pipes and try to hear the soundof the clock through the other pipe.

• Adjust the position of the pipes so thatyou can best hear the sound ofthe clock.

• Now, measure the angles of incidenceand reflection and see the relationshipbetween the angles.

• Lift the pipe on the right verticallyto a small height and observewhat happens.

Table 12.1: Speed of sound indifferent media at 25 ºC

State Substance Speed in m/s

Solids Aluminium 6420

Nickel 6040

Steel 5960

Iron 5950

Brass 4700

Glass (Flint) 3980

Liquids Water (Sea) 1531

Water (distilled) 1498

Ethanol 1207

Methanol 1103

Gases Hydrogen 1284

Helium 965

Air 346

Oxygen 316

Sulphur dioxide 213

uestion1. In which of the three media, air,

water or iron, does sound travelthe fastest at a particulartemperature?Q

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12.3.1 ECHO

If we shout or clap near a suitable reflectingobject such as a tall building or a mountain,we will hear the same sound again a littlelater. This sound which we hear is called anecho. The sensation of sound persists in ourbrain for about 0.1 s. To hear a distinct echothe time interval between the original soundand the reflected one must be at least 0.1s.If we take the speed of sound to be 344 m/sat a given temperature, say at 22 ºC in air,the sound must go to the obstacle and reachback the ear of the listener on reflection after0.1s. Hence, the total distance covered by thesound from the point of generation to thereflecting surface and back should be at least(344 m/s) × 0.1 s = 34.4 m. Thus, for hearingdistinct echoes, the minimum distance of theobstacle from the source of sound must behalf of this distance, that is, 17.2 m. Thisdistance will change with the temperature ofair. Echoes may be heard more than oncedue to successive or multiple reflections. Therolling of thunder is due to the successivereflections of the sound from a number ofreflecting surfaces, such as the clouds andthe land.

12.3.2 REVERBERATION

A sound created in a big hall will persist byrepeated reflection from the walls until it isreduced to a value where it is no longeraudible. The repeated reflection that resultsin this persistence of sound is calledreverberation. In an auditorium or big hall

excessive reverberation is highly undesirable.To reduce reverberation, the roof and wallsof the auditorium are generally covered withsound-absorbent materials like compressedfibreboard, rough plaster or draperies. Theseat materials are also selected on the basisof their sound absorbing properties.

Example 12.2 A person clapped his handsnear a cliff and heard the echo after5 s. What is the distance of the clifffrom the person if the speed of thesound, v is taken as 346 m s–1?

Solution:

Given,Speed of sound, v = 346 m s–1

Time taken for hearing the echo,t = 5 sDistance travelled by the sound

= v × t = 346 m s–1 × 5 s = 1730 mIn 5 s sound has to travel twice thedistance between the cliff and theperson. Hence, the distance betweenthe cliff and the person

= 1730 m/2 = 865 m.

uestion1. An echo returned in 3 s. What is

the distance of the reflectingsurface from the source, giventhat the speed of sound is342 m s–1?

12.3.3 USES OF MULTIPLE REFLECTION

OF SOUND

1. Megaphones or loudhailers, horns,musical instruments such as trumpetsand shehanais, are all designed tosend sound in a particular directionwithout spreading it in all directions,as shown in Fig 12.12.

Fig. 12.11: Reflection of sound

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curved soundboard may be placedbehind the stage so that the sound,after reflecting from the sound board,spreads evenly across the width of thehall (Fig 12.15).

Fig 12.12: A megaphone and a horn.

In these instruments, a tube followedby a conical opening reflects soundsuccessively to guide most of the soundwaves from the source in the forwarddirection towards the audience.

2. Stethoscope is a medical instrumentused for listening to sounds producedwithin the body, chiefly in the heart orlungs. In stethoscopes the sound of thepatient’s heartbeat reaches thedoctor’s ears by multiple reflection ofsound, as shown in Fig.12.13.

Megaphone

Horn

Fig.12.13: Stethoscope

3. Generally the ceilings of concert halls,conference halls and cinema halls arecurved so that sound after reflectionreaches all corners of the hall, asshown in Fig 12.14. Sometimes a

Fig. 12.14: Curved ceiling of a conference hall.

Fig. 12.15: Sound board used in a big hall.

uestion1. Why are the ceilings of concert

halls curved?

12.4 Range of HearingThe audible range of sound for human beingsextends from about 20 Hz to 20000 Hz (oneHz = one cycle/s). Children under the age of

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five and some animals, such as dogs can hearup to 25 kHz (1 kHz = 1000 Hz). As peoplegrow older their ears become less sensitiveto higher frequencies. Sounds of frequenciesbelow 20 Hz are called infrasonic sound orinfrasound. If we could hear infrasound wewould hear the vibrations of a pendulum justas we hear the vibrations of the wings of abee. Rhinoceroses communicate usinginfrasound of frequency as low as 5 Hz.Whales and elephants produce sound in theinfrasound range. It is observed that someanimals get disturbed before earthquakes.Earthquakes produce low-frequencyinfrasound before the main shock wavesbegin which possibly alert the animals.Frequencies higher than 20 kHz are calledultrasonic sound or ultrasound. Ultrasoundis produced by dolphins, bats and porpoises.Moths of certain families have very sensitivehearing equipment. These moths can hearthe high frequency squeaks of the bat andknow when a bat is flying nearby, and areable to escape capture. Rats also play gamesby producing ultrasound.

Hearing Aid: People with hearing loss mayneed a hearing aid. A hearing aid is anelectronic, battery operated device. Thehearing aid receives sound through amicrophone. The microphone converts thesound waves to electrical signals. Theseelectrical signals are amplified by anamplifier. The amplified electrical signalsare given to a speaker of the hearing aid.The speaker converts the amplifiedelectrical signal to sound and sends to theear for clear hearing.

uestions1. What is the audible range of the

average human ear?2. What is the range of frequencies

associated with(a) Infrasound?(b) Ultrasound?

12.5 Applications of UltrasoundUltrasounds are high frequency waves.Ultrasounds are able to travel along well-defined paths even in the presence ofobstacles. Ultrasounds are used extensivelyin industries and for medical purposes.

• Ultrasound is generally used to cleanparts located in hard-to-reach places,for example, spiral tube, odd shapedparts, electronic components etc.Objects to be cleaned are placed in acleaning solution and ultrasonicwaves are sent into the solution. Dueto the high frequency, the particles ofdust, grease and dirt get detached anddrop out. The objects thus getthoroughly cleaned.

• Ultrasounds can be used to detectcracks and flaws in metal blocks.Metallic components are generallyused in construction of big structureslike buildings, bridges, machines andalso scientific equipment. The cracksor holes inside the metal blocks, whichare invisible from outside reduces thestrength of the structure. Ultrasonicwaves are allowed to pass through themetal block and detectors are used todetect the transmitted waves. If thereis even a small defect, the ultrasoundgets reflected back indicating thepresence of the flaw or defect, asshown in Fig. 12.16.

Q Fig 12.16: Ultrasound is reflected back from thedefective locations inside a metal block.

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Ordinary sound of longer wavelengthscannot be used for such purpose as it willbend around the corners of the defectivelocation and enter the detector.

• Ultrasonic waves are made to reflectfrom various parts of the heart andform the image of the heart. This tech-nique is called ‘echocardiography’.

• Ultrasound scanner is an instrumentwhich uses ultrasonic waves forgetting images of internal organs ofthe human body. A doctor may imagethe patient’s organs such as the liver,gall bladder, uterus, kidney, etc. Ithelps the doctor to detectabnormalities, such as stones in thegall bladder and kidney or tumoursin different organs. In this techniquethe ultrasonic waves travel throughthe tissues of the body and getreflected from a region where there isa change of tissue density. Thesewaves are then converted intoelectrical signals that are used togenerate images of the organ. Theseimages are then displayed on amonitor or printed on a film. Thistechnique is called ‘ultrasonography’.Ultrasonography is also used forexamination of the foetus duringpregnancy to detect congenial defectsand growth abnormalities.

• Ultrasound may be employed to breaksmall ‘stones’ formed in the kidneysinto fine grains. These grains later getflushed out with urine.

12.5.1SONAR

The acronym SONAR stands for SOundNavigation And Ranging. Sonar is a devicethat uses ultrasonic waves to measure thedistance, direction and speed of underwaterobjects. How does the sonar work? Sonarconsists of a transmitter and a detector andis installed in a boat or a ship, as shown inFig. 12.17.

Fig.12.17: Ultrasound sent by the transmitter andreceived by the detector.

The transmitter produces and transmitsultrasonic waves. These waves travel throughwater and after striking the object on theseabed, get reflected back and are sensedby the detector. The detector converts theultrasonic waves into electrical signals whichare appropriately interpreted. The distanceof the object that reflected the sound wavecan be calculated by knowing the speed ofsound in water and the time interval betweentransmission and reception of theultrasound. Let the time interval betweentransmission and reception of ultrasoundsignal be t and the speed of sound throughseawater be v. The total distance, 2d travelledby the ultrasound is then, 2d = v × t.

The above method is called echo-ranging.The sonar technique is used to determine thedepth of the sea and to locate underwaterhills, valleys, submarine, icebergs, sunkenship etc.

Example 12.3 A ship sends out ultrasoundthat returns from the seabed and isdetected after 3.42 s. If the speed ofultrasound through seawater is1531 m/s, what is the distance of theseabed from the ship?

Solution:

Given,Time between transmission anddetection, t = 3.42 s.

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Speed of ultrasound in sea water,v = 1531 m/s

Distance travelled by the ultrasound= 2 × depth of the sea = 2d

where d is the depth of the sea.2d = speed of sound × time

= 1531 m/s × 3.42 s = 5236 md = 5236 m/2 = 2618 m.

Thus, the distance of the seabed fromthe ship is 2618 m or 2.62 km.

uestion1. A submarine emits a sonar pulse,

which returns from anunderwater cliff in 1.02 s. If thespeed of sound in salt water is1531 m/s, how far away is thecliff?

As mentioned earlier, bats search out preyand fly in dark night by emitting anddetecting reflections of ultrasonic waves. Thehigh-pitched ultrasonic squeaks of the batare reflected from the obstacles or prey andreturned to bat’s ear, as shown in Fig. 12.18.The nature of reflections tells the bat wherethe obstacle or prey is and what it is like.Porpoises also use ultrasound for navigationand location of food in the dark.

12.6 Structure of Human EarHow do we hear? We are able to hear withthe help of an extremely sensitive devicecalled the ear. It allows us to convert pressurevariations in air with audible frequencies intoelectric signals that travel to the brain viathe auditory nerve. The auditory aspect ofhuman ear is discussed below.

Q

Fig. 12.18: Ultrasound is emitted by a bat and it isreflected back by the prey or an obstacle.

The outer ear is called ‘pinna’. It collectsthe sound from the surroundings. Thecollected sound passes through the auditorycanal. At the end of the auditory canal thereis a thin membrane called the ear drum ortympanic membrane. When a compressionof the medium reaches the eardrum thepressure on the outside of the membraneincreases and forces the eardrum inward.Similarly, the eardrum moves outward whena rarefaction reaches it. In this way theeardrum vibrates. The vibrations areamplified several times by three bones (thehammer, anvil and stirrup) in the middle ear.The middle ear transmits the amplifiedpressure variations received from the soundwave to the inner ear. In the inner ear, thepressure variations are turned into electricalsignals by the cochlea. These electricalsignals are sent to the brain via the auditorynerve, and the brain interprets them assound.

Fig. 12.19: Auditory parts of human ear.

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Whatyou havelearnt• Sound is produced due to vibration of different objects.• Sound travels as a longitudinal wave through a material

medium.• Sound travels as successive compressions and rarefactions in

the medium.• In sound propagation, it is the energy of the sound that travels

and not the particles of the medium.• Sound cannot travel in vacuum.• The change in density from one maximum value to the

minimum value and again to the maximum value makes onecomplete oscillation.

• The distance between two consecutive compressions or twoconsecutive rarefactions is called the wavelength, λ.

• The time taken by the wave for one complete oscillation of thedensity or pressure of the medium is called the time period, T.

• The number of complete oscillations per unit time is called the

frequency (ν), 1

=νT

.

• The speed v, frequency ν, and wavelength λ, of sound are relatedby the equation, v = λν.

• The speed of sound depends primarily on the nature and thetemperature of the transmitting medium.

• The law of reflection of sound states that the directions in whichthe sound is incident and reflected make equal angles withthe normal to the reflecting surface and the three lie in thesame plane.

• For hearing a distinct sound, the time interval between theoriginal sound and the reflected one must be at least 0.1 s.

• The persistence of sound in an auditorium is the result ofrepeated reflections of sound and is called reverberation.

• Sound properties such as pitch, loudness and quality aredetermined by the corresponding wave properties.

• Loudness is a physiological response of the ear to the intensityof sound.

• The amount of sound energy passing each second throughunit area is called the intensity of sound.

• The audible range of hearing for average human beings is inthe frequency range of 20 Hz – 20 kHz.

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• Sound waves with frequencies below the audible range aretermed “infrasonic” and those above the audible range aretermed “ultrasonic”.

• Ultrasound has many medical and industrial applications.

• The SONAR technique is used to determine the depth of thesea and to locate under water hills, valleys, submarines,icebergs, sunken ships etc.

Exercises1. What is sound and how is it produced?2. Describe with the help of a diagram, how compressions and

rarefactions are produced in air near a source of sound.3. Cite an experiment to show that sound needs a material

medium for its propagation.4. Why is sound wave called a longitudinal wave?5. Which characteristic of the sound helps you to identify your

friend by his voice while sitting with others in a dark room?6. Flash and thunder are produced simultaneously. But thunder

is heard a few seconds after the flash is seen, why?7. A person has a hearing range from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. What are

the typical wavelengths of sound waves in air correspondingto these two frequencies? Take the speed of sound in air as344 m s–1.

8. Two children are at opposite ends of an aluminium rod. Onestrikes the end of the rod with a stone. Find the ratio of timestaken by the sound wave in air and in aluminium to reach thesecond child.

9. The frequency of a source of sound is 100 Hz. How many timesdoes it vibrate in a minute?

10. Does sound follow the same laws of reflection as light does?Explain.

11. When a sound is reflected from a distant object, an echo isproduced. Let the distance between the reflecting surface andthe source of sound production remains the same. Do youhear echo sound on a hotter day?

12. Give two practical applications of reflection of sound waves.13. 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 the splashheard at the top? Given, g = 10 m s–2 and speed of sound =340 m s–1.

14. A sound wave travels at a speed of 339 m s–1. If its wavelengthis 1.5 cm, what is the frequency of the wave? Will it be audible?

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15. What is reverberation? How can it be reduced?

16. What is loudness of sound? What factors does it depend on?

17. Explain how bats use ultrasound to catch a prey.

18. How is ultrasound used for cleaning?

19. Explain the working and application of a sonar.

20. A sonar device on a submarine sends out a signal and receivesan echo 5 s later. Calculate the speed of sound in water if thedistance of the object from the submarine is 3625 m.

21. Explain how defects in a metal block can be detected usingultrasound.

22. Explain how the human ear works.