SOUND

Short Answers

1. Define the term Amplitude.

2. What are mechanical waves?
3. Name the subjective property of sound related to its frequency and wavelength.
4. Two astronauts cannot hear each other on the moon. Why?
5. How is sound perceived by us?
6. Define sound ranging. Give one use of sound ranging.
7. Define the terms Ultrasonic, Infrasonic , Subsonic and Supersonic.
8. How can one distinguish the sounds of two musical instruments even if they are of same
pitch and same loudness?
9. If the amplitude of a wave is doubled, how is its loudness affected?
10. How do you account for the fact that two strings can be used to give notes of the same
pitch and loudness but of different quality?
11. The same musical note when played on a piano and when played on a flute sounds
different. (Hint: Overtone)
12. Mention two properties of a wave: one property which varies and the other which
remains constant when the wave passes from one medium to another.
13. A bucket kept under a running tap is getting filled with water. A person sitting at a
distance is able to get an idea when the bucket is about to be filled.
(i) What change takes place in the sound to give this idea?
(ii) What causes the change in the sound?
14. What is meant by echo depth sounding?
15. An echo is heard when the distance is10m find the speed of sound in that medium.
16. When acoustic resonance takes place, a loud sound is heard. Why does this happen?
Explain.
17. Explain why stringed musical instruments, like the guitar, are provided with a hollow box.
18. With which of the following frequencies does a tuning fork of 256 Hz resonate? 288 Hz,
314 Hz, 333 Hz. 512 Hz.
19. State three factors on which the frequency of vibration of a stretched string depends.
20. Explain why strings of different thicknesses are provided on a stringed instrument.
21. Name the type of waves which are used for sound ranging.

Long Short Answers

1. What is sonar? Give the principle of sonar.

2. How are bats able to fly in the dark?
3. What do you understand about the ‘Echo-location system of Dolphins’?
4. How does the presence of medium affect the amplitude of free vibrations of a body?
5. State two factors on which natural frequency of a body depends.
 6. A metallic blade is made to vibrate at its one end by keeping its other end clamped. The
vibrations of the blade die away after some time. Explain, how you lower the frequency
of the vibration of the blade?
7. What are forced vibrations? Give two examples.
8. What do you mean by resonance? When does a resonance occur?
9. When a troop crosses a suspension bridge, the soliders are asked to break step.
Explain.
10. A cork piece is floating on the surface of water in a pond. A piece of pebble is dropped
into the water. What will be your observation?

Long Answers and Numericals

1. What are the factors that affect the frequency of a vibrating string and how do they affect
the frequency? (Explain the factors)
2. Draw a diagram representing a wave of amplitude 4 cm and wavelength 2 m. If
frequency of wave is 150 Hz, calculate its velocity.
3. The frequency of stretched string of a fixed length is f when it is plucked in the middle.
Where should it be plucked so that string vibrates with frequency (i) 2f, (ii) 3f? Draw
diagrams to show these vibrations and name them.
4. A cannon is fired at A. An observer at B hears two
sounds. The first sound is heard after 1 second and
the second 3s after the observer sees the flash.
(Velocity of sound = 340 ms-1) (i) Why does the
observer see the flash before he hears the sound? (ii)
Calculate the distance x between the observer and
the wall.
5. An observer X is on an island 5500 m from a vertical
cliff on the shore. A ship Y is anchored between the
island and the Cliff. A blast on the ship’s siren is
heard twice by X, the interval being 5s. [Velocity of
sound = 330 ms-1]

6. A 0.6 m long stretched wire is made to vibrate in two different modes as shown in figure
(a) and (b). (i) If the frequency of the note produced in (b) is n, what is the frequency in
 case (a). (ii) In which case (a) or (b), is the note louder? Give reasons. (iii) In which case
is the pitch higher? Give a reason.
7. A radio signal, sent towards the surface of the moon, is received in 2.5 seconds. If the
speed of the radio waves is 3 × 108 ms-1, find the distance of the moon from the earth.
8. A sound made on the surface of a lake takes 3 s to reach a boatman. How much time
will it take to reach a diver inside the water at the same depth?
9. Two waves of the same pitch have their amplitudes in the ratio 2 : 3. (i) What will be the
ratio of their loudness? (ii) What will be the ratio of their frequencies?
10. The smoke from the gun barrel is seen 2 second before the explosion is heard. If the
speed of sound in air is 340 ms-1, calculate the distance of the observer from the gun.
State the approximation used.
11. A boy standing infront of a wall at a distance 17 m produce 10 claps per second. He
notices that the sound of his clapping coincides with the echo. Echo is heard only once
when clapping is stopped. Calculate the speed of sound.
12. An observer standing in front of a vertical wall claps 10 times one second. He adjusts his
distance from the wall in such a way that the second of his clapping coincides with the
echo. This happens when bis distance from the wall is 17.5m. What is the velocity of
sound heared by him?
13. A person fires a gun while standing at a distance of 850 m from a building. If the speed
of sound is 350 ms, calculate the time in which the person hears an echo of the gun flte.
14. A boy stands 66.4 m in front of a high wall and then blows a whistle. Calculate the time
interval when he hears an echo. (Speed of sound = 332m/s).
15. A ship which is stationary at a distance of 680 m from the shore, sends a signal to the
coast. Its echo is heard in 4s. Find the velocity of sound.
16. An observer stands at a distance of 850 m from a cliff and fires a gun. After what time
gap will he hear the echo? If sound travels at a speed of 350 m/sec., in air.
17. The wavelèngth and frequency of sound wave in a certain medium is 40 cm and 835 Hz
respectively. In the same medium if another wave has wavelength equal to 32 cm,
calculate its frequency.
18. A pendulum has a frequency of 5 vibration per second. An observer starts the pendulum
and fires simultaneously and he hears the echo from a cliff after 8 vibrations of the
pendulum. If the velocity of sound in air is 340 m/sec, what is the distance between the
cliff and the observer?
19. A radar sends a signal to an aircraft at a distance of 30 km away and receives it back
after 2 × 10-4 second. What is the speed of the signal?
20. An observer stands at a certain distance away from a cliff and produces a loud sound.
He hears the echo of the sound after 1.8 s. Calculate the distance between the cliff and
the observer if the velocity of sound in air is 340 m-1.
21. A man standing between two cliffs produces a sound and hears two successive echoes
at intervals of 3 s and 4 s respectively. Calculate the distance between the two cliffs. The
speed of sound in the air is 330 ms-1.
22. An instrument is able to detect the reflected waves from an enemy aeroplane, after a
time interval of 0.02 milliseconds. If the velocity of the waves is 3 × 108 ms-1, calculate
the distance of the plane from the radar.
23. A man stand in between of two parallel cliffs and blows a whistle. He hears first echo
after 0.6s and second echo after 2.4s. Calculate the distance between cliffs. [Speed of
sound = 336 m/s]
24. A boy stands in from of a cliff on the other side of a river. He fires a gun and hears an
echo after 6 seconds. The boy then moves backward by 170 m and again fires the gun.
He hears an echo after 7 seconds. Calculate (i) width of river, (ii) speed of sound.
25. A person standing between two vertical cliffs and is 640 m away from the nearest cliff.
He shouted and heard the first echo after 45s and the second echo after further 3s.
Calculate the speed of sound in air and the distance between the cliffs.
26. A man standing in front of a vertical cliff fires a gun. He hears an echo after 35s. On
moving close to the cliff by 82.5 m he fires again. This time he hears the echo after
2.55s. Calculate the speed of sound, distance and initial position of man from the cliff.
27. Waves produced on the surface of water are formed to move with a velocity of 24 ms-1.
If the wavelength of these waves equals 20 cm. find the (i) frequency (no. of waves
produced per second) (ii) the time period (i.e. the time required to produce one wave) for
these waves.
28. A man standing 25 m away from a wall produces a sound and receives the reflected
sound. (i) Calculate the time after which he receives the reflected sound if the speed of
sound in air is 350 ms1. (ii) Will the man be able to hear a distinct echo? Give a reason
for your answer.