CHARACTERISTICS OF SOUND
A sound has three characteristics: loudness, pitch, and quality (or timbre).
1. Loudness: The loudness of sound depends on the amplitude of sound waves. If the sound
waves have a small amplitude, then the sound will be faint (or soft). On the other hand, if
the sound waves have a large amplitude, then the sound will be loud.
The loudness of sound is measured in ‘decibel,’ written as dB.
2. Pitch: Pitch is that characteristic of sound by which we can distinguish between different
sounds of the same loudness.
Sounds of low frequency are said to have low pitch whereas sounds of high frequency are
said to have high pitch.
Examples of high-pitch sounds- a whistle, a baby crying, a woman or screaming
Low-pitch sounds – thunder, a drum beat, the roar of a lion.
3. Quality (or timbre): Quality (or timbre) is that characteristic of musical sound which
enables us to distinguish between the sounds of same pitch and loudness produced by
different musical instruments (and different singers)
Intensity of sound:
The average energy transported by a sound wave per second per unit area (perpendicular to the
direction of propagation) is called intensity of sound. Intensity of sound is measured in the unit
of watts per square metre (W/m2).
1 TUTOR L. RAHUL SINGH MSc Physics
THE SPEED OF SOUND:
1. The speed of sound depends on the nature of material (or medium) through which it
travels.
In general, sound travels slowest in gases, faster in liquids and fastest in solids.
At room temperature, the speed of sound in air is 344 m/s;
2. The speed of sound depends on the temperature. In fact, as the temperature of air rises, the
speed of sound in it increases. Thus, the speed of sound in air will be more on a hot day
than on a cold day.
3. The speed of sound depends on the humidity of air. For example, the speed of sound is less
in dry air but more in humid air.
*The term supersonic refers to the speed of an object which is greater than the speed of
sound.
Sample Problem. If a thunder is heard by a man 4 seconds after the lightning is seen, how far is
the lightning from the man? (Speed of sound in air = 330 m/s).
REFLECTION OF SOUND:
The bouncing back of sound when it strikes a hard surface is called reflection of sound. Hard,
solid surfaces are the best for reflecting sound waves.
The laws of reflection of light are obeyed during the reflection of sound. L
1. The incident sound wave, the reflected sound wave, and the normal at the point of
incidence, all lie in the same plane.
2. The angle of reflection of sound is always equal to the angle of incidence of sound.
The reflection of sound is utilised in the working of devices such as: Megaphone, Bulb horn,
Stethoscope, and Soundboard.
1. Megaphone: A megaphone is a large, cone-shaped (or funnel-shaped) device for
amplifying and directing the voice of a person who speaks into it.
2. Stethoscope: Stethoscope is a medical instrument used by the doctors for listening to the
sounds produced within the human body, mainly in the heart and the lungs.
2 TUTOR L. RAHUL SINGH MSc Physics
ECHO:
The repetition of sound caused by the reflection of sound waves is called an echo.
An echo is simply a reflected sound.
* The minimum distance from a sound reflecting surface (wall, etc.) to hear an echo is 17.2
metres.
Sample Problem. A man claps his hands near a mountain and hears the echo after 4 seconds. If the
speed of sound under these conditions be 330 m/s, calculate the distance of the mountain from the
man.
Reverberation:
The persistence of sound in a big hall due to repeated reflections from the walls, ceiling and floor
of the hall is called reverberation.
Some of the methods used for reducing excessive reverberation in big halls and auditoriums are
as follows:
(i) Panels made of sound-absorbing materials (like compressed fibreboard or felt) are put on
the walls and ceiling of big halls and auditoriums to reduce reverberations.
(ii) Carpets are put on the floor to absorb sound and reduce reverberations.
(iii) Heavy curtains are put on doors and windows to absorb sound and reduce reverberations.
(iv) The material having sound-absorbing properties is used for making the seats in a big hall or
auditorium to reduce reverberations.
THE FREQUENCY RANGE OF HEARING IN HUMANS:
The audible range of sound frequencies for human ear is from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.
The sounds of frequencies lower than 20 hertz are known as ‘infrasonic sounds’ (or just
‘infrasound’).
Earthquakes, and some animals like whales, elephants and rhinoceroses also produce infrasonic
sounds.
Rhinoceros can produce infrasonic sounds having frequencies less than 20 Hz. They can also
hear infrasonic sounds.
The sounds of frequencies higher than 20,000 hertz are known as ‘ultrasonic sounds’ (or just
‘ultrasound’).
Bats can hear ultrasonic sounds having frequencies up to 1,20,000 hertz.
Bats can also produce ultrasonic sounds while screaming.
3 TUTOR L. RAHUL SINGH MSc Physics