Characteristics of Sound Waves

Sound can’t go through a vacuum. This is a lot of conversely, with the property of light. Another
distinction which is over the extent of the schedule is the way that sound waves are, and large
longitudinal waves and light waves are cross over waves. Yet, they’re not extremely unique by the
same token. We should investigate the qualities of sound while proliferating through air.

Intensity and Loudness

There are two main properties of a regular vibration – the amplitude and the frequency – which
affect the way it sounds.

Amplitude

o Amplitude is the size of the vibration, and this determines how loud the sound is. The larger
vibrations make a louder sound.
o Amplitude is important when balancing and controlling the loudness of sounds, such as with
the volume control on your CD player.
o The amplifier is a device that increases the amplitude of a waveform (used in speakers).

Frequency

o It is the speed of the vibration, and this determines the pitch of the sound.
o It is only useful or meaningful for musical sounds, where there is a strongly regular
waveform.
o Frequency is measured as the number of wave cycles that occur in one second. The unit of
frequency measurement is Hertz (Hz for short).

Frequency Range of sound waves

1. Audible sound waves (20Hz-20kHz): Human ears are only sensitive to the frequency band
between 20Hz to 20000Hz of sound waves. Hence, they are termed audible sound waves.
 2. Infrasonic waves (less than 20Hz): The longitudinal waves having a frequency less than 20
Hz are termed infrasonic waves. Example: Earthquake, volcanic eruption, elephants, and
whales produce infrasonic sound waves
3. Ultrasonic waves (greater than 20Hz): The longitudinal waves having a frequency greater
than 20 Hz are termed Ultrasonic sound waves. Example: Dogs, cats, and other animals can
detect ultrasonic waves whereas bats detect their surroundings using ultrasonic waves.

Intensity of sound

o The intensity of sound is defined as the amount of energy passing through per unit area held
around that point per unit time.
o Due to the intensity of sound, it appears loud or faint to the ear. The unit of intensity of
sound is watt/m2.

Wavelength

o It is the distance between consecutive peaks of a sound wave.

o The intensity of sound waves combined with the reception characteristics of the ear is known
as loudness.
o The loudness of sound is determined by the intensity of the sound waves.
o Intensity is a measure of the amount of energy in sound waves. The unit of intensity is the
decibel (dB).

Speed of Sound Waves

Sound is a mechanical wave and needs a material medium for its propagation. Hence the speed of
sound generally depends on the elasticity and density of the medium. i.e., the speed of sound in air
is 332 m/s also the speed of sound in water is 1483 m/s this change is because sound waves
propagate from one medium to another, its speed and wavelength changes but the frequency of
sound remains unchanged.

Note: The speed of sound in air is determined by the method known as the resonance column or
more specifically Kundt’s tube.
REFLECTION OF SOUND (ECHO )

• It is a reflection of sound that arrives at the listener with a delay after the
direct sound.
• The sensation of sound persists in our brain for about 0.1 seconds.
• To hear a distinct echo, the time interval between the original sound and the
reflected one must be at least 0.1 seconds.
• For hearing distinct echoes, the minimum distance of the obstacle from the source
of sound must be 17.2 m. This distance will change with the temperature of the air.
Echoes may be heard more than once due to successive or multiple reflections

o An echo is made by sound waves bouncing off a hard surface.

o For example: In a hilly region if we shout, we are likely to hear the echo.
o The echo can only form if the reflecting surface is 17.2 m away from the observer (this may
change depending on factors like temperature, the direction of the wind, etc.)

Application of Echo

o They are used in SONAR (Sound navigation and ranging) by submarines to detect an
obstacle underwater.
o They are used in RADAR (Radio detection and ranging) by aircraft to detect other aircraft,
obstacles in the air. RADAR is also used in control rooms.
o The study of Echo is important in the acoustic design of rooms, amphitheatres and
auditoriums.
Reverberation and Echo in Sound Waves

Reverberation and Echo are two phenomena caused by the interaction of sound waves. Let’s take a
quick look at them.

Reverberation of Sound

o Reverberation is the persistence of sound after a sound is produced.

o It is created when a sound or signal is reflected causing a large number of reflections to build
up and then decay as the sound is absorbed by the surfaces of objects in the space – which
could include furniture, people, and air.
o A sound created in a big hall will persist by repeated reflection from the walls until it is
reduced to a value where it is no longer audible. The repeated reflection that results in this
persistence of sound is called reverberation.

Uses of Reverberation of Sound:

Megaphones or loudhailers, horns, musical instruments such as trumpets and shehnais, are all
designed to send sound in a particular direction without spreading it in all directions.

A stethoscope is a medical instrument used for listening to sounds produced within the body, mainly
in the heart or lungs.

Superposition of Sound Waves

What happens when two Sound Waves meet each other? When two waves cross each other they
behave as if the other one is not there. Each wave will set the particle in SHM, giving rise to a
resultant motion. This is called the Superposition of waves. When two or more waves travelling
through the same medium simultaneously, each wave results in its independent motion. Hence, the
resultant motion is a vector sum of both the waves.
Constructive Interference

When two sound waves having the same phase superimpose each other, the crest of one wave
matches with the crest of the other wave. This results in maximum amplitude. It is called Constructive
Interference.

Destructive Interference
When the crest of one wave matches with the trough of the other wave or vice versa, the waves
cancel out each other. This results in minimum or zero amplitude. It is called Destructive
Interference.

Formation of Beats

We all enjoy music. Music is nothing but sound in harmony. This harmony is created by the
conscious production of sound waves. Beats are alternate waxing and waning of sound at definite
intervals; such that two waves of nearly the same frequency superimpose on each other.

Consider two waves as:

Destructive Interference
When the crest of one wave matches with the trough of the other wave or vice versa, the waves
cancel out each other. This results in minimum or zero amplitude. It is called Destructive
Interference.

Formation of Beats

We all enjoy music. Music is nothing but sound in harmony. This harmony is created by the
conscious production of sound waves. Beats are alternate waxing and waning of sound at definite
intervals; such that two waves of nearly the same frequency superimpose on each other.

Consider two waves as:

The formula v = nλ relates a wave's speed (v) to its frequency (n) and
wavelength (λ). It means that the speed of a wave is equal to the product of
its frequency (the number of waves passing a point per second) and its
wavelength (the distance between two consecutive peaks or troughs). You
can rearrange this equation to solve for any of the three variables if the other
two are known.
 Here's a breakdown of the formula:
• v (velocity): The speed at which the wave travels through a medium.
• n (frequency): The number of complete waves (or cycles) that pass a given point
in one second.
• λ (wavelength): The distance between two consecutive identical points on a
wave, such as two crests or two troughs.

Example:
If a wave has a speed of 300 m/s and a frequency of 100 Hz (Hertz, or cycles
per second), you can calculate the wavelength: v = nλ, 300 m/s = 100 Hz * λ,
and λ = 300 m/s / 100 Hz = 3 meter.

ULTRASOUND
Ultrasounds are high-frequency waves. They are able to travel along well-defined
paths even in the presence of obstacles. Ultrasounds are used extensively in
industries and for medical purposes.
Applications

• Ultrasounds can be used to detect cracks and flaws in metal blocks. Metallic
components are generally used in the construction of big structures like
buildings, bridges, machines, and also scientific equipment.
• Ultrasound is generally used to clean parts located in hard-to-reach places,
for example, spiral tubes, odd-shaped parts, electronic components, etc.
• Ultrasonic waves are made to reflect from various parts of the heart and
form the image of the heart. This technique is called ‘echocardiography’.
• An ultrasound scanner is an instrument that uses ultrasonic waves for
getting images of the internal organs of the human body. It helps the doctor
to detect abnormalities, such as stones in the gall bladder and kidney or
tumors in different organs. The technique is called ‘ultrasonography’.
• Ultrasound may be employed to break small ‘stones’ formed in the kidneys
into fine grains. These grains later get flushed out with urine.
SONAR

The acronym SONAR stands for Sound Navigation And Ranging. Sonar is a
device that uses ultrasonic waves to measure the distance, direction, and
speed of underwater objects.

• Sonar consists of a transmitter and a detector and is installed in a boat or a

ship. The transmitter produces and transmits ultrasonic waves.
• These waves travel through water and after striking the object on the seabed,
get reflected back and are sensed by the detector.
• The detector converts the ultrasonic waves into electrical signals which are
appropriately interpreted.
• The distance of the object that reflected the sound wave can be calculated
by knowing the speed of sound in water and the time interval between
transmission and reception of the ultrasound.

Let the time interval between transmission and reception of ultrasound

signal be t and the speed of sound through seawater be v.
The total distance, 2d traveled by the ultrasound is then,

2d = v × t,

The above method is called echo ranging.

The sonar technique is used to determine the depth of the sea and to locate
underwater hills, valleys, submarines, icebergs, sunken ships, etc.

SUPERSONIC SOUND
Again if the speed of any substance, especially of an aircraft, is more than
the speed of sound in air, then the speed of the substance is called
supersonic speed.

INFRASONIC SOUND

Sounds of frequencies below 20 Hz are called infrasonic sounds or

infrasound.
Example:
Rhinoceroses communicate using infrasound of frequency as low as 5
Hz. Whales and elephants produce sound in the infrasound range. It is
observed that some animals get disturbed before
earthquakes. Earthquakes produce low-frequency infrasound
before the mainshock waves begin which possibly alert the animals.

ULTRASONIC SOUND

Frequencies higher than 20 kHz are called ultrasonic sound or ultrasound.

Example:
Ultrasound is produced by dolphins, bats, and porpoises.

Applications:

• Ultrasounds can be used to detect cracks and flaws in metal blocks.

• Metallic components are generally used in the construction of big structures
like buildings, bridges, machines, and also scientific equipment.
• The cracks or holes inside the metal blocks, which are invisible from the
outside reduces the strength of the structure. Ultrasonic waves are allowed
to pass through the metal block and detectors are used to detect the
transmitted waves. If there is even a small defect, the ultrasound gets
reflected back indicating the presence of the flaw or defect.
• Ultrasonic waves are made to reflect from various parts of the heart and
form the image of the heart. This technique is called ‘echocardiography’.
• An ultrasound scanner is an instrument that uses ultrasonic waves for
getting images of the internal organs of the human body. A doctor may
image the patient’s organs such as the liver, gall bladder, uterus, kidney, etc.
It helps the doctor to detect abnormalities, such as stones in the gall bladder
and kidney or tumors in different organs. In this technique, the ultrasonic
waves travel through the tissues of the body and get reflected from a region
where there is a change in tissue density. These waves are then converted
into electrical signals that are used to generate images of the organ. These
images are then displayed on a monitor or printed on a film. This technique
is called ‘ultrasonography’.