Chapter – 13 Sound Notes
• Sound: A kind of sensation received by our ears and perceived by our brain. Sound is
produced by vibrating objects.
• Musical Sound: The sound which produce a pleasing effect on the ear.
• Noise: The sounds which produce a jarring or unpleasant effect.
• Types of Sound:
(i) Audible Sound: Vibrations whose frequency lies between 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz (20
kHz)
(ii) Inaudible Sound: The sounds having frequencies above 20,000 Hz and below 20
Hz cannot be heard by the normal human ear.
• In human beings, the vibration of the vocal cords produces sound.
• Sound travels through a medium (gas, liquid or solid). It cannot travel in vacuum.
• The eardrum senses the vibrations of sound, It sends the signals to the brain. This process
is called hearing.
• The number of oscillations or vibrations per second is called the frequency of oscillation.
• The frequency is expressed in hertz (Hz)
• Larger the amplitude of vibration, louder is the sound.
• Higher the frequency of vibration, the higher is the pitch, and shriller is the sound.
• Unpleasant sounds are called noise.
• Excessive or unwanted sounds lead to noise pollution. Noise pollution may pose health
problems for human beings.
• Attempts should be made to minimise noise pollution.
• Plantation on the roadside and elsewhere can reduce noise pollution.
• Amplitude: The maximum distance of a vibrating or swinging object from its position of
rest.
• Time Period: One complete to and fro movement of the pendulum around its mean
position is called one oscillation. The time taken by the vibrating particle to complete one
oscillation is called time period.
• Frequency: The number of vibrations or oscillations made by a vibrating body in a
second. The unit of frequency is hertz (Hz).
• Characteristics of Sounds:
(i) Loudness: The sensation produced in the ear which enables us to distinguish
between a loud and a faint sound. Larger the amplitude of vibration, the louder is
the sound produced.
(ii) Pitch: The characterisitics of sound which distinguishes between a shrill sound
and a soft sound. Higher the frequency of vibration, higher is the pitch.
(iii) Quality: Characteristic which enables us to distinguish between musical notes
emitted by different musical instruments or voices even though they have the
same pitch and loudness
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Science Chapter 13
Sound
Exercise : Solutions of Questions on Page Number : 168
Q1 :
Choose the correct answer.
Sound can travel through
(a) gases only (b) solids only
(c) liquids only (d) solids, liquids and gases.
Answer :
(d) Sound can travel through solids, liquids, and gases.
Sound requires a medium to travel through. Solid, liquid and gas provide the medium for
sound. Hence, sound can travel through solids, liquids and gases.
Q2 :
Which of the following voices is likely to have minimum frequency?
(a) Baby girl (b) Baby boy
(c) A man (d) A woman
Answer :
(c) A man
The voice of an adult man is of lower pitch in comparison to the voices of a baby boy, a baby
girl and a woman. Since frequency of a sound is directly proportional to its pitch, man's
voice is of minimum frequency in comparison to a boy, a girl, or a woman's voice.
Q3 :
In the following statements, tick 'T' against those which are true, and 'F' against those which
are false.
(a) Sound cannot travel in vacuum. (T / F)
(b) The number of oscillations per second of a vibrating object is called its time period. (T /
F)
(c) If the amplitude of vibration is large, sound is feeble. (T / F)
(d) For human ears, the audible range is 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. (T / F)
(e) The lower the frequency of vibration, the higher is the pitch. (T / F)
(f) Unwanted or unpleasant sound is termed as music. (T / F)
(g) Noise pollution may cause partial hearing impairment. (T/F)
Answer :
(a) True
Sound requires a medium to travel through. Since vacuum is devoid of any medium, sound
cannot travel through it.
(b) False
The number of oscillations per second of a vibrating object is known as its [Link]
period is the time required to complete
one oscillation.
(c) False
Loudness of a sound is proportional to the square of the amplitude of its vibration. When
the amplitude of vibration of a sound is
large, the sound is very loud. The sound is feeble for small amplitude.
(d) True
Humans cannot hear sounds of all frequencies. Humans can hear a sound whose frequency
falls in the range of 20 Hz-20,000 Hz.
The sound having frequency out of this range is inaudible to humans.
(e) False
The pitch of a sound is proportional to its frequency. As the frequency of vibration
increases, the pitch of the sound also increases
and vice-versa. A sound is said to be high pitched if its frequency of vibration is high, and is
low pitched for a small frequency of
vibration.
(f) False
Unwanted or unpleasant sounds are known as noise. Sounds that are melodious and
pleasing to ear are known as music.
(g) True
Unwanted or unpleasant sounds are known as noise. If one is subjected to loud unpleasant
sound continuously for a long time, then
it may cause temporary hearing impairment.
Q4 :
Fill in the blanks with suitable words.
Answer :
(a) Time taken by an object to complete one oscillation is called __time period__.
(b) Loudness is determined by the__amplitude__ of vibration.
(c) The unit of frequency is __hertz (Hz) __.
(d) Unwanted sound is called __noise__.
(e) Shrillness of a sound is determined by the __frequency__of vibration.
(Shrillness is also called pitch of the sound. Pitch is directly proportional to the frequency of
vibration. Hence, shrillness is determined by the frequency of vibration.)
Q5 :
A pendulum oscillates 40 times in 4 seconds. Find its time period and frequency.
Answer :
Frequency of oscillations is defined as the number of oscillations of a vibrating body per
second. It is given by the time required to complete one oscillation is known as time period.
It is given by the inverse of the frequency.
Frequency of oscillations = number of oscillations /Time =40/4 = 10Hz
Time period =1/10 = 0.1second
Q6 :
The sound from a mosquito is produced when it vibrates its wings at an average rate of 500
vibrations per second. What is the time period of the vibration?
Answer :
The time required to complete one oscillation is known as time period. It is given by the
inverse of the frequency.
Time period = 1/frequency
Frequency of oscillations = number of oscillations /Time = 500/1 = 500 Hz
Time period = 1/500 =0.002 second
Q7 :
Identify the part which vibrates to produce sound in the following instruments.
(a) Dholak (b) Sitar (c) Flute
Answer :
(a) Dholak is a musical instrument. It consists of a stretched membrane. When it is beaten
gently, the stretched membrane sets into vibration. Due to the vibrations of stretched
membrane, the dholak produces a sound.
(b) Sitar is a musical instrument. It consists of stretched strings. When a string is plucked, it
sets into vibration. Due to the vibrations of string, the sitar produces a sound.
(c) Flute is a hollow pipe. When air is blown over its mouth, the air inside the pipe is set into
vibration. As a result, a pleasant sound is produced.
Q8 :
What is the difference between noise and music? Can music become noise sometimes?
Answer :
The sound that is pleasing to the ear is called music. For example, the sound produced by
violins, pianos, flutes, pungs, etc.
The sound that is unpleasing to the ear is called noise.
Some examples of noise are as follows:
(i) Sound produced by horns of buses and trucks
(ii) Sound of electrical generators
Yes. Music can become noise when played at high volumes.
Q9 :
List sources of noise pollution in your surroundings.
Answer :
Some sources of noise pollution are as follows:
(i) Televisions and transistors running at high volumes
(ii) Loudspeakers and crackers
(iii) Horns of buses, cars and trucks
(iv) Home appliances such as mixer, desert cooler, etc.
Q10 :
Explain in what way noise pollution is harmful to humans.
Answer :
Noise pollution can lead to a number of health-related problems. Some of them are as
follows:
(i) Hearing loss
(ii) inability to sleep
(iii) Hypertension
(iv) Severe headache
(v) Stress
Q11 :
Your parents are going to buy a house. They have been offered one on the roadside and
another three lanes away from the
roadside. Which house would you suggest your parents should buy? Explain your answer.
Answer :
There will be more noise in the house which is along the roadside. This is because noise
produced by transportation vehicles may cause trouble to the residents. The intensity of
noise decreases with the distance between the source and the listener. Hence, it is
better to take the house that is three lanes away from the roadside.
Q12 : Sketch larynx and explain its function in your own words.
Answer :
Larynx is a part of the throat. It is responsible for production of sound.
Inside the larynx, there are two vocal cords. There is a small gap between them. This
small gap allows air to pass through. When we speak, air is forced into this small gap by the
lungs. This prompts vocal cords to vibrate. sound is produced due to the vibration of vocal
cords.
Q13 :Lightning and thunder take place in the sky at the same time and at the same distance
from us. Lightning is seen earlier and thunder is heard later. Can you explain?
Answer :
The speed of sound is less than the speed of light. Hence, light reaches us before the sound
during a lightning, which is accompanied by thundering.