SOUND
➢ is a disturbance that travels through a medium as a longitudinal wave.
➢ produced when a vibration causes pressures variations in the medium.
➢ can travel in solid, liquid and gas
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY THE DIFFERENT SOUNDS FROM MUSICIANS AND SINGERS AT A
CONCERT ALL REACH YOUR EARS AT THE SAME TIME?
➢ it happens because the sound produced by each person travel at the same speed.
SPEED OF SOUND
➢ does not depend on the source
➢ does not depend on the pressure of the air
➢ if atmospheric pressure changes, the speed of sound waves stays the same
➢ depends on the temperature
➢ sound waves travel faster in warm air than through cool air
➢ depends on the density of the materials used as medium
➢ sound waves travel well through dense materials because the molecules are close
together
➢ depends on the elasticity of materials
➢ sound waves travel faster through elastic materials because the molecules return
quickly to their original positions after the disturbance.
Speed of sound in different materials (medium)
Air (00 C) = 330 m/s Air (200 C) = 342 m/s Water (00 C) = 1402 m/s
Water (200 C) = 1482 m/s Steel = 5000 m/s
➢ the speed of sound INCREASES by 0.60 m/s for every 10 C increases in temperature.
Speed of sound = distance travelled
time elapsed v= d/t v= 2d/t
Properties of SOUND WAVE
➢ amplitude, wavelength, frequency, period, speed
➢ Pitch
➢ the perception of highness or lowness of a sound.
➢ depends on the frequency of the sound wave
➢ the faster the sound wave moves the greater the frequency and the higher the pitch
➢ high frequency = high notes = high pitch
➢ Low frequency = low note = low pitch
❖ Audio frequency range = 20 Hz to 20 000 Hz
➢ Ultrasonic = sound waves of frequency above 20 000 Hz
➢ Infrasonic = sound waves of frequency below 20 Hz
❖ Loudness
➢ describe the perception of the energy of the sound
➢ describes what you hear
➢ determined by the amplitude of the sound wave
❖ the greater the amplitude of the sound wave the LOUDER
➢ depends on 2 factors:
❖ energy of the sound source
❖ distance from the source
➢ related to intensity
Intensity
✓ the amount of energy it has in a given area
✓ has a unit of decibel (dB)
✓ A SOUND WAVE OF GREATER INTENSITY SOUNDS LOUDER - so when you move
away from the source the loudness decreases because intensity decreases.
➢ Timbre
➢ also called tone color/tone quality
➢ used to distinguished between two different sounds that have same pitch and loudness
➢ helps us to identify what produced the sound
What is Doppler Effect?
the change in frequency of a wave as its source moves in relation to an observer
Named after Austrian scientist Christian Doppler
INTERACTIONS OF WAVES
❑ Reflection, refraction, diffraction, interference
❑ Sound as a wave interact the same way
❑ Sound waves are reflected, refracted, diffracted or interfere
Why do we like music and avoid noise?
Music
• Produces pleasing sounds and has interesting beat
• Has regular pattern
Noise
• Lacks pleasing sounds quality, definite pitch, rhythm and pattern.
• has random and irregular pattern
Characteristics of MUSICAL SOUNDS
✓ Pitch, intensity, rhythm, melody, harmony and quality.
✓ Basic element of music is a NOTE, played in at a specific frequency
✓ PITCH, the highness or lowness of the note
✓ RHYTHM, is a repeating pattern of beats and this make it possible to keep time to the music
✓ MELODY, the series of pitches
✓ When two or three notes are played together, they produce HARMONY
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
✓ Has 3 groups – string, percussion and wind
WIND INSTRUMENT
✓ Produce a tone when their strings vibrate
✓ The more vibration of strings, the louder the sound
✓ Depends on the kind of string
✓ Long, thick strings produce low pitch sounds
✓ Short, thin strings produce higher pitch sounds
✓ Usually has a wooden box that amplifies the sounds of the vibrating strings.
WIND INSTRUMENT
✓ Contain a column of air that vibrates when air is blown in to the instrument
✓ Depends on the length of the air column
✓ Long air column produces low note
✓ Short air column produces high notes
✓ Volume changes when one blows harder into the instrument
PERCUSSION INSTRUMENT
✓ Produce sound when they are struck
✓ Depends on how hard one strikes the instrument
✓ Frequency of the vibration can vary by tightening or loosening the cover
✓ Pitch is affected by the tension on the drum covering