The impact to the loudness of a sound by different materials with

different density

Ah Dut

Introduction:
This experimentation is interesting because as a product designer and a physicist, it is very important
to know how sound wave works and how to reduce the loudness of a wave in order to create a
product that will satisfy the clients’ need. This investigation was possible to perform because some
companies owners are interested in buying noise reduction products for their workers who works
under loud noise conditions. As these companies requested, the material used to create these
products must be lightweight and they must offer protection against loud noises. Therefore as a
product designer, it is necessary to test different materials to find out which one will satisfy the
client’s requirements, then report the findings supported by scientific reasons to convince the clients
to use the product.
Background information:
According to ​Britannica.com​, which states, “Sound, a mechanical disturbance from a state of
equilibrium that propagates through an elastic material medium”, in other words, sounds are
transferred through waves, and wave is a disturbance that carries energy through matter or space.
from prior knowledge to this topic, it is true that if there are less matter the wave will vibrates more,
due to the spacing between each matter are large, therefore there are more space for the vibration to
take place. It will vibrate less for denser object which contain more matter because of the space
between each matter are very limited, therefore there will be smaller space for the vibration to take
place. if the vibration is smaller, then the sound produced will also decent, on the other hand, if the
vibration is bigger, then the sound will be louder, and the loudness of a sound is measured by
decibels (dB).

According to ​soundproofliving,com​, reads, “[s]oundproofing is any means of reducing the sound

pressure in regard to a specific sound source and its receptor; and without soundproofing materials,
soundproofing wouldn’t be possible”. When it comes to soundproof materials, there are many things
that can insulate sound; however, some materials are more effective than others,

Research question:
How can the loudness of a sound be affected depending on objects with different density when the
frequency produced by the phone stays the same?
Hypothesis:

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When the object is denser, the sound will be less louder and when the object is less dense, the sound
will be louder. To prove this, according to scientific reasonings, the sound wave transferred through
particles by vibration, when the object is less dense, which mean the particles are not too close to
each other leaving big spaces in between and the vibration will be much strong which increases the
frequency and the sound will be louder. On the other hand, if an object is more dense, which mean
the particles are very close to each other leaving very small spaces in between and small room for
the vibration to take place, which decreases the frequency and therefore the sound will be much
quieter.
Methodology:
1) Materials
- Phone x2: To generate sound and receiving the sound wave
- Styrofoam (sphere): This is for my first testing object,
- Cardboard (7.5cm x 7.5cm): This is my second testing object
- Wood plate (the chair in science class): This will be my third testing object
- Water bottle x 1: this will be used this as the pathway for the sound waves, the testing object
and the phone where it will receive the wave frequency.
- Cutter: this material is needed a cutter to cut the bottle and the cardboard
- Supporting applications:
dB Meter: an application to measure the soundwave
YouTube: this is used as sound generator for this experiment, there will be a video of
consistency sound playing throughout the experiment.

2) Variables:
Table #1: Table showing the variables and the method to control them.
VARIABLE UNITS TYPE HOW TO MANIPULATE
(UNCERTAINTIES)
Sound insulating - styrofoam Independent This variable will be controlled
Objects - cardboard simply by substitution after every 5
- wood trials for each object
loudness of a decibel (dB) Dependent This variable will be manipulated
sound by recording the numbers in dB
after each trial during testing, then
will be calculated into an average
for all 5 trials
Distance of the cm Controlled This will be measured in
object to the wave centimeters with a ruler when
receiver testing, the object will be in the
middle of the end of the bottle and
to sound wave receiver that are
5.5cm apart

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Distance of the cm Controlled The wave generator to the object
wave generator to will be 14 centimeters, this will be
the testing object measured with a ruler during the
experimentation
Trials Controlled
The loudness of decibel (dB) Controlled The loudness of the sound that was
the sound produced will be tested by the ​dB
produced Master​ on the other phone device,
it will be always at 90 dB (+/- 1)
Loudness of the decibel (dB) Controlled The loudness of the environment
Environmental will be always the same, to make
noise sure it stays the same, when
conducting the experimentation,
everyone in the room must be
quiet, no other loud noises are
produced from any object in the
room

3) Diagram
Diagram #1: the illustration of the set up for the testing

As shown in the diagram, in this experiment the water bottle will be cut both ends to create a passage
for the sound wave to pass through, one end of the bottle will be where the sound wave generator or
the device which is the phone and cover the other end with the object that will be tested, then the
other phone behind the object to receive the frequency. the placement of the objects will be as shown
as above, the bottle will be 14cm, and the distance from the end of the bottle to the sound wave
receiver will be 5.5 cm because when placing the styrofoam at the end of the bottle, it creates a 5.5
cm distance from the end of the bottle to the phone.
4) Procedure:
This experiment will have 5 trials for each material as explained below

Preparation:
To prepare for this experiment, first will have to prepare the equipment and the materials.
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 - cut both ends of the empty water bottle to create a pathway for the wave
- download ​dB Master​ app in the phone to receive the sound wave
- search ​consistency sound​ on YouTube with the other phone
- find a quiet room and bring all materials to the room (make sure there aren’t other loud
noises around that might distract the experiment)
- layout the testing area: sound wave generating phone on one end of the bottle, on the other
end leave some space for the object, then 5.5cm away from the end of the bottle place the
other phone which will be the sound wave receiver

Styrofoam
Trial #1
- turn on the volume of the phone that is generating the sound wave (make sure everyone in
the room is quiet or no other loud noises)
- turn on the receiver app, at 5.5 cm away from the other end of the bottle
- if the wave receiver starts to show numbers, when the dB is stabled, count 3 seconds, then
record the number in the notebook
- place the styrofoam in the space between the end of the bottle and the receiver
- if the wave receiver starts to show numbers, when the dB is stabled, count 3 seconds, then
record the number in the notebook
Trial #2 - Trial #4
- keep the sound generator going, once again making sure everyone in the room is quiet or no
other loud noises
- turn on the receiver app, at 5.5 cm away from the other end of the bottle
- if the wave receiver starts to show numbers, when the dB is stabled, count 3 seconds, then
record the number in the notebook
- place the styrofoam in the space between the end of the bottle and the receiver
- if the wave receiver starts to show numbers, when the dB is stabled, count 3 seconds, then
record the number in the notebook
Trial #5
- keep the sound generator going, once again making sure everyone in the room is quiet or no
other loud noises
- turn on the receiver app, at 5.5 cm away from the other end of the bottle
- if the wave receiver starts to show numbers, when the dB is stabled, count 3 seconds, then
record the number in the notebook
- place the styrofoam in the space between the end of the bottle and the receiver
- if the wave receiver starts to show numbers, when the dB is stabled, count 3 seconds, then
record the number in the notebook
- turn off the sound generator and the dB receiver app, then prepare for the next sound
insulating object to test

Cardboard
Trial #1
- turn on the volume of the phone that is generating the sound wave (make sure everyone in
the room is quiet or no other loud noises)
- turn on the receiver app, at 5.5 cm away from the other end of the bottle

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 - if the wave receiver starts to show numbers, when the dB is stabled, count 3 seconds, then
record the number in the notebook
- place the cardboard in the space between the end of the bottle and the receiver
- if the wave receiver starts to show numbers, when the dB is stabled, count 3 seconds, then
record the number in the notebook
Trial #2 - Trial #4
- keep the sound generator going, once again making sure everyone in the room is quiet or no
other loud noises
- turn on the receiver app, at 5.5 cm away from the other end of the bottle
- if the wave receiver starts to show numbers, when the dB is stabled, count 3 seconds, then
record the number in the notebook
- place the cardboard in the space between the end of the bottle and the receiver
- if the wave receiver starts to show numbers, when the dB is stabled, count 3 seconds, then
record the number in the notebook

Trial #5
- keep the sound generator going, once again making sure everyone in the room is quiet or no
other loud noises
- turn on the receiver app, at 5.5 cm away from the other end of the bottle
- if the wave receiver starts to show numbers, when the dB is stabled, count 3 seconds, then
record the number in the notebook
- place the cardboard in the space between the end of the bottle and the receiver
- if the wave receiver starts to show numbers, when the dB is stabled, count 3 seconds, then
record the number in the notebook
- turn off the sound generator and the dB receiver app, then prepare for the next sound
insulating object to test
Wood plate
Trial #1
- turn on the volume of the phone that is generating the sound wave (make sure everyone in
the room is quiet or no other loud noises)
- turn on the receiver app, at 5.5 cm away from the other end of the bottle
- if the wave receiver starts to show numbers, when the dB is stabled, count 3 seconds, then
record the number in the notebook
- place the woodplate in the space between the end of the bottle and the receiver
- if the wave receiver starts to show numbers, when the dB is stabled, count 3 seconds, then
record the number in the notebook
Trial #2 - Trial #4
- keep the sound generator going, once again making sure everyone in the room is quiet or no
other loud noises
- turn on the receiver app, at 5.5 cm away from the other end of the bottle
- if the wave receiver starts to show numbers, when the dB is stabled, count 3 seconds, then
record the number in the notebook
- place the woodplate in the space between the end of the bottle and the receiver
- if the wave receiver starts to show numbers, when the dB is stabled, count 3 seconds, then
record the number in the notebook
Trial #5
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 - keep the sound generator going, once again making sure everyone in the room is quiet or no
other loud noises
- turn on the receiver app, at 5.5 cm away from the other end of the bottle
- if the wave receiver starts to show numbers, when the dB is stabled, count 3 seconds, then
record the number in the notebook
- place the cardboard in the space between the end of the bottle and the receiver
- if the wave receiver starts to show numbers, when the dB is stabled, count 3 seconds, then
record the number in the notebook
- turn off the sound generator and the dB receiver app
Data processing
- to calculate the average, add up all of the numbers for ​with​ and ​without​ the sound insulating
object, then divide the sum by 5 (because there were 5 trials each), and write the number
down in the notebook

5) Safety, Ethical and Environmental Considerations

Material safety:
Using the cuter- since this experiment include some cutting, such as the water bottle and cardboard,
therefore there must be some safety instructions when doing so. First, when using cutter, the person
should not run around with the tip of the blade extended, it might harm others and themselves, to
prevent this to happen, when moving or walking around, put the cutter on a safe area such as on a
table or inside some container. If transporting the equipment from one place to another, make sure
the cutter is in a container or the tip of the blade is not extended.
Consumption of materials:
During this experiment, there will be a minimum of materials consumed, the materials will be
Styrofoam, cardboard, and the wood plate. To minimize the material usage, the cardboard will be cut
to a squared shape with the side measurement of 7.5 cm, there will be extra cardboard which can be
used for other purposes.
Correct disposal of waste:
After conducting the experiment, the materials will be taken care correctly. Phones will be returned
to its owner, Styrofoam, cardboard as well as the bottle will be collected into a plastic bag, the top of
the chair was used as the wood plate material, therefore it will be returned to science classroom, the
cutter will also be returned to its owner. After taken care everything, there will be no left over trash
or in-disposable materials.
The impact of the investigation on field sites:
This experiment will not have any sort of harmful impact to its field site. Since this experiment does
not require any chemical, electricity(except for the phone) or fire, this experimentation will not be
harmful to any organisms.

Results:
Quantitative Data:

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Table #2: Table showing the results after 5 trails of the experiment with three different materials (​all
measurements are in dB​)

Trial #1 Trial #2 Trial #3 Trial#4 Trial #5 Average

Styrofoam 86 86 85 86 85 85.6

With

Without 91 90 90 90 90 90.2

Cardboard 84 84 85 84 84 84.2

With

Without 90 90 90 90 90 90

Woodplate 80 78 77 77 77 77.8

With

Without 90 90 91 91 91 90.6

The data shown on the table above are obtained by recording the numbers in the ​dB Master
application, and the average numbers are calculated as follow: for example, for the average data with
the object for cardboard is (84 + 84 + 85 + 84 + 84) / 5 = 84.2 dB.
Qualitative Data:
During the experimentation, there were some other things to be taken into account that might affect
the data collected, for example:
Surrounding​ ​noise:​ since wave is everywhere, even there was one small movement, the energy will
be transferred through waveform, because there were two people in the room while testing, the wave
that was created by the two people might also interfere with the wave form coming from the sound
generator and giving slightly different data to the receiving date.
Echo​: as stated in previous paragraph, other sound noises might also be one factor, additionally, the
echo of the sound that bounces back from the wall of the room might also affect the wave that the
receiver device is getting and it therefore it might show a different number.
Mistakes​: when it comes to mistakes, it usually is made by the person who is handling the
experiment. As shown on table #2, the first number for the wood plate experiment with the wood
plate was much higher than any other numbers followed, because there was some misplacement with
the object which decrease the distance between the end of the bottle and to the sound receiver,
therefore it didn’t match the distance as shown in diagram 1 as the first trial, then for trial 2 to 5 the
distance are kept the same, therefore the data collected are also similar.
Conclusion:
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Data analysis:
As the data shown in table #2, the
You must accurately interpret data and explain results using correct scientific reasoning. There must
be a reference to your tables and graphs (qualitative and quantitative) explaining how the
independent variable affected the dependent variable, reference to your research question. Make
reference to your standard deviation and empirical value to evaluate the precision and accuracy of
your experiment (uncertainties). There must be a theoretical comparison with your results and an
analysis if they are similar or different. The use and correct interpretation of statistical analysis such
as standard deviations and t-tests, when applicable is a must.
Conclusion:
Evaluate the validity of your hypothesis based on your experiment results. YOUR CONCLUSIONS
NEED TO BE SUPPORTED BY THE DATA. It is very important to refer back to the research
question and the hypothesis at this point. A comparison of your results with a scientific context is
necessary for the discussion.
Evaluation:
Don’t include human errors. Think of the variables that you didn’t control, weaknesses in the
method and materials, reliability of the data and fill in the table:
Problem/Weakness Effect on results/ data Possible solution/ improvement
State a problem don’t talk Explain how each problem Explain a solution or improvement to
about mistakes you did affected your results (be specific your problem
because that is human error did they increase or decrease)

Bibliography:
Berg, R. E. (2018, September 21). Sound. Retrieved from

https://www.britannica.com/science/sound-physics

15 Best Soundproofing Materials | Find Most Effective Sound Blockers. (2019, February 12).

Retrieved from ​https://soundproofliving.com/soundproofing-materials

Rubric rating submitted on: 08/03/2019, 14:19:11 by john.salgado@apis.ac.th

0 1|2 3|4 5|6 7|8

PROBLEM The student does state a problem outline a describe a explain a

IDENTIFICATI not reach a or question to be problem or problem or problem or
ON standard tested by a question to be question to be question to be
5|6 identified by any scientific tested by a tested by a tested by a
of the descriptors investigation scientific scientific scientific

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 that follow investigation investigation investigation

HYPOTHESIS The student does outline a testable formulate a formulate and formulate and
FORMULATIO not reach a hypothesis testable explain a testable explain a testable
N standard hypothesis using hypothesis using hypothesis using
5|6 identified by any scientific scientific correct scientific
of the descriptors reasoning reasoning reasoning
that follow

VARIABLES The student does outline the outline how to describe how to explain how to
5|6 not reach a variables manipulate the manipulate the manipulate the
standard variables, and variables, and variables, and
identified by any outline how describe how explain how
of the descriptors relevant data will sufficient, sufficient,
that follow be collected relevant data will relevant data will
be collected be collected

METHOD The student does design a method, design a safe design a design a logical,
5|6 not reach a with limited method in which complete and complete and
standard success he or she selects safe method in safe method in
identified by any materials and which he or she which he or she
of the descriptors equipment. selects selects
that follow appropriate appropriate
materials and materials and
equipment. equipment.

DATA The student does collect and correctly collect correctly collect, correctly collect,
COLLECTION/ not reach a present data in and present data organize and organize,
PRESENTATIO standard numerical and/or in numerical present data in transform and
N identified by any visual forms and/or visual numerical and/or present data in
0 of the descriptors forms visual forms numerical and/or
that follow visual forms

DATA The student does interpret data accurately accurately accurately

ANALYSIS not reach a interpret data and interpret data and interpret data and
0 standard explain results explain results explain results
identified by any using scientific using correct
of the descriptors reasoning scientific
that follow reasoning

CONCLUSION The student does state the validity outline the discuss the evaluate the
HYPOTHESYS not reach a of a hypothesis validity of a validity of a validity of a
VALIDATION standard based on the hypothesis based hypothesis based hypothesis based
0 identified by any outcome of a on the outcome on the outcome on the outcome
of the descriptors scientific of a scientific of a scientific of a scientific
that follow investigation investigation investigation investigation

CONCLUSION The student does state the validity outline the discuss the evaluate the
METHOD not reach a of the method validity of the validity of the validity of the

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 VALIDATION standard based on the method based on method based on method based on
0 identified by any outcome of a the outcome of a the outcome of a the outcome of a
of the descriptors scientific scientific scientific scientific
that follow investigation investigation investigation investigation

EVALUATION The student does state outline describe explain

0 not reach a improvements or improvements or improvements or improvements or
standard extensions to the extensions to the extensions to the extensions to the
identified by any method. method that method that method that
of the descriptors would benefit the would benefit the would benefit the
that follow scientific scientific scientific
investigation. investigation. investigation.

Comments:
The planning part, criterion B is complete, some minor mistakes, read my comments.

The execution part, criterion C is not there, meaning that you actually didn't do the experiment. It is
unacceptable that after two weeks and 8 complete hours of class, you didn't complete your
assignment. I understand that this subject is not one of your main priorities, but you need to give
good account of the time of class that I gave you to complete this work. What did you do in those 8
hours?

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