The Nature of Sound

Alexandra Aquino Trisha Ozoa Isabelle Antonio Kendall Buenavista Gregin Bandoquillo Keith Torres

Electronic vocal communication devices such as telephone require the mutual conversion of sound and electricity. We live in a world of sound. Some of these sounds are familar to us, e.g. a friends voice, the chirping of birds, the ticking of the clock, the barking of dogs, the beating of your heart. Music is pleasant to the ears, others are not, called noise.

Effects of Sound

Music

relaxes and soothes. Crashing sound of explosives can make us feel nervous.

Sound is restricted to the frequency range of 20 Hz to 20 000 Hz to which the human ear is sensitive. Waves with frequencies below the audible range (1 to 20 Hz) are called infrasounds. Those above (> 20 000 Hz) are referred to as ultrasounds.

Sound waves are longitudinal waves. They are produced by a series of vibrations parallel to the direction of travel of the waves. For example, when you pluck the strings of a guitar, the strings look hazy as they vibrate. Touch your throat while talking and you will feel the vibrations of your vocal chords. When you ring a bell, you pull the string and move it back and forth to produce sound. The source of sound in these examples is a vibrating object.

Propagation of Sound Waves

Like water waves, sound waves need a medium to spread in. Sound waves travel in air, water and solids. They can travel through narrow openings, and around corners, but not in an empty space or vacuum.

Nearly all sounds reach you, with air as the transmitting medium. Dense gases are better transmitters of sounds than rare gases. As you climb on a mountain you must speak louder to be heard. Air on mountains is less dense than in the lowlands. It does not transmit sound so readily.

The Speed of Sound in Different Media

Speed of sound:

Wavelength is the distance between two corresponding points on a wave train. Frequency refers to the number of waves passing a given point at a given time. Elasticity is the property of matter that enables it to retain its original size and shape when the external force is removed.

The elasticity and density of a medium affect sound propagation. Higher temperatures increase the speed of sound. For solids and liquids, the change in speed is small and usually be neglected; for gases, the change is large, the speed increases with temperature. The speed of sound is approximately 330 m/sec at 0 degrees C For each degree increased, there will be 0.6 m/s increase in sound. Table 15.1 p. 370

Receiving Sound Waves

Outer ear collects sound waves which pass through the ear canal. As they reach the eardrum at the end of the canal the eardrum vibrates. Ossicles the three bones of the middle ear connected to the eardrum Cochlea the coil-shaped of the middle ear Hair cells of the organ of Corti

The nerves at the hair cells pass on the message to the hearing center of the brain. The brains sound memory center stores messages, as it has been doing since birth, and identifies the sound received. Some people do not use their ears to detect sound. A famous inventor who had difficulty hearing would listen to phonograph records by resting his head against the phonograph player.

The Human Ear

The End!!!