5

CHAPTER
Sound

School Level
 NCERT Corner
1. A sound wave has a frequency of 2 kHz and wave 3. A ship sends out ultrasound that returns from
length 35 cm. How long will it take to travel 1.5 km? the seabed and is detected after 3.42 s. If the
speed of ultrasound through seawater is 1531
Ans. Given, Frequency, n = 2 kHz = 2000 Hz
m/s, what is the distance of the seabed from
Wavelength, l = 35 cm = 0.35 m the ship?
We know that speed,
Ans. Given,
elocity of the wave = wavelength × frequency
Time between transmission and detection,
= ln = 0.35 m × 2000 Hz = 700 m/s
t = 3.42 s.
The time taken by the wave to travel a distance,
Speed of ultrasound in sea water,
d of 1.5 km is
= 1531 m/s
distance 1500 m
t = = = 2.1 s Distance travelled by the ultrasound = 2 × depth
speed 700 m/s
of the sea = 2d
Thus sound will take 2.1 s to travel a distance of
1.5 km. where d is the depth of the sea.
2d = speed of sound × time
2. A person clapped his hands near a cliff and
heard the echo after 5 s. What is the distance = 1531 m/s × 3.42 s = 5236 m
of the cliff from the person if the speed of the 5236 m
d= = 2618 m.
sound, v is taken as 346 ms–1 ? 2
Ans. Given, Thus, the distance of the seabed from the ship is
2618 m or 2.62 km.
Speed of sound, v = 346 m s–1
Time taken for hearing the echo, t = 5 s 4. How does the sound produced by a vibrating
Distance travelled by the sound = × t = 346 m object in a medium reach your ear?
s–1 × 5 s = 1730 m Ans. When an object vibrates, it makes the surrounding
In 5 s sound has to travel twice the distance particles of the medium to vibrate. The particles
between the cliff and the person. Hence, the that are adjacent to vibrating particles are forced
distance between the cliff and the person to vibrate. Hence the sound produced by a
1730 m vibrating object in a medium is transferred from
= = 865 m. particle to particle till it reaches our ear.
2

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 5. Explain how sound is produced by your school (d) Time period: The time period is defined as the
bell. time required to produce one complete cycle of
Ans. When the school bell is hit with a hammer, a sound wave. The unit of time in SI unit system
is seconds.
it moves forward and backwards producing
compression and rarefaction due to vibrations. 11. How are the wavelength and frequency of a
This is how sound is produced by the school bell. sound wave related to its speed?
6. Why are sound waves called mechanical Ans. Wavelength, speed, and frequency are related in
waves? the following way:
Ans. Sound waves require a medium to propagate to Speed = Wavelength × Frequency
interact with the particles present in it. Therefore =λ ν
sound waves are called mechanical waves. 12. Calculate the wavelength of a sound wave
7. Suppose you and your friend are on the moon. whose frequency is 220 Hz and speed is 440
Will you be able to hear any sound produced m/s in a given medium.
by your friend? Ans. Given that, Frequency of sound wave = 220 Hz.
Ans. No. Sound waves require a medium to propagate. Speed of sound wave = 440 m/s.
Due to the absence of atmosphere on the moon We know that,
and since sound cannot travel in vacuum, I will Speed = Wavelength × Frequency
not be able to hear any sound produced by my
440 = Wavelength × 220
friend.
440
8. Which wave property determines (a) loudness, Wavelength = =2
220
(b) pitch?
Therefore, the wavelength of the sound wave
Ans. (a) Amplitude: The loudness of the sound and its = 2 meters.
amplitude are directly related to each other.
Larger the amplitude louder is the sound. 13. A person is listening to a tone of 500 Hz sitting
at a distance of 450 m from the source of the
(b) Frequency: The pitch of the sound and its
sound. What is the time interval between
frequency are directly related to each other. If successive compressions from the source?
the pitch is high then the frequency of sound is
also high. Ans. The time interval between successive compressions
from the source is equal to the time period
9. Guess which sound has a higher pitch: guitar and time period is reciprocal of the frequency.
or car horn? Therefore, it can be calculated as follows:
Ans. The pitch of a sound is directly proportional to its 1
frequency. Therefore, the guitar has a higher pitch T=
f
when compared to a car horn. 1
10. What are wavelength, frequency, time period T= = 0.002 s.
500
and amplitude of a sound wave? 14. Distinguish between loudness and intensity of
Ans. (a) Wavelength: Wavelength can be defined sound.
as the distance between two consecutive Ans. The amount of sound energy passing through an
rarefactions or two consecutive compressions. area every second is called intensity of a sound
The SI unit of wavelength is meter (m). wave. Loudness is defined by its amplitude.
(b) Frequency: Frequency is defined as the number 15. In which of the three media, air, water or iron,
of oscillations per second. The SI unit of does sound travel the fastest at a particular
frequency is hertz (Hz). temperature?
(c) Amplitude: Amplitude can be defined as the Ans. Sound travels faster in solids as compared to
maximum height reached by the trough or crest any other medium. Therefore, at a particular
of a sound wave. The SI unit of amplitude is the temperature, sound travels fastest in iron and
meter [m]. slowest in gas.

Sound 175
 16. Why are the ceilings of concert halls curved? 19. What is the range of frequencies associated
Ans. Ceilings of concert halls are curved to uniformly with (a) Infrasound? (b) Ultrasound?
spread sound in all directions after reflecting from Ans. (a) Less than 20 Hz
the walls.
(b) More than 20,000 Hz.
17. An echo is heard in 3 s. What is the distance
of the reflecting surface from the source, given 20. A submarine emits a sonar pulse, which
that the speed of sound is 342 ms-1? returns from an underwater cliff in 1.02 s. If
Ans. Speed of sound (v) = 342 ms–1 the speed of sound in salt water is 1531 m/s,
Echo returns in time (t) = 3 s how far away is the cliff?
Distance travelled by sound = v × t = 342 × 3 Ans. Time (t) taken by the sonar pulse to return = 1.02 s
= 1026 m Speed (v) of sound in salt water = 1531 m s–1
In the given interval of time, sound must travel a Distance travelled by sonar pulse = Speed of
distance which is twice the distance between the
reflecting surface and source. sound × Time taken
Therefore, the distance of reflecting surface from = 1531 × 1.02 = 1561.62 m
1026 Distance of the cliff from the submarine
the source = = 513 m.
2 Total distance travelled by sonar pulse
18. What is the audible range of the average =
human ear? 2
Ans. 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. Any sound less than 20 1561.62
=
Hz or greater than 20,000 Hz frequency is not 2
audible to human ears. = 780.81 m.

NCERT Exercise
1. What is sound and how is it produced? Longitudinal Wave
Ans. Sound is produced due to vibrations. When a body
vibrates, it forces the adjacent particles of the
medium to vibrate. This results in a disturbance in
Compression Rarefaction Movement
the medium, which travels as waves and reaches the
3. Cite an experiment to show that sound needs a
ear of the listener.
material medium for its propagation.
2. Describe with the help of a diagram, how Ans. Take an electric bell and hang it inside an empty
compressions and rarefactions are produced in bell-jar which is fitted with a vacuum pump
the air near a source of sound. (as shown in the figure below).
Ans. When a school bell is hit with a hammer, it moves To mains
Switch
forward and backwards producing compression Cork
and rarefaction due to vibrations. When it moves Bell-jar
forward, it creates high pressure in its surrounding Electrical bell
area. This high-pressure region is known as
compression. When it moves backwards, it creates a
low-pressure region in its surrounding. This region
is called rarefaction. To vacuum pump

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 Initially, one can hear the sound of the ringing bell. (b) For v2 = 20,000 Hz
Now, pump out some air from the bell-jar using the v 344
vacuum pump. You will realize that the sound of λ2 = = = 0.0172 m
v2 20,000
the ringing bell decreases. If you keep on pumping
Therefore, for human beings the hearing wavelength is
the air out of the bell-jar, then glass-jar will be in the range of 0.0172 m to 17.2 m.
devoid of any air after some time. Now try to ring
the bell. No sound is heard but you can see bell 8. Two children are at opposite ends of an aluminum
rod. One strikes the end of the rod with a stone.
prong is still vibrating. When there is no air present
Find the ratio of times taken by the sound wave
in the bell jar, a vacuum is produced. Sound cannot
in the air and in aluminum to reach the second
travel through vacuum. Therefore, this experiment
child.
shows that sound needs a material medium for its
propagation. Ans. Consider the length of aluminum rod = d
Speed of sound wave at 25° C, in aluminum
4. Why sound wave is called a longitudinal wave?
 = 6420 ms–1
Ans. In the case of sound waves, the vibration of the
Time taken to reach other end
particles of the medium is parallel to the direction
of the wave or along in the direction of the wave. d d
TAl = =
Therefore, a sound wave is called a longitudinal (VAl ) 6420
wave. Speed of sound in air, Vair = 346 ms–1
5. Which characteristics of the sound help you to Time taken by sound to each other end,
identify your friend by his voice while sitting d d
Tair = =
with others in a dark room? (Vair ) 346
Ans. Quality of sound is a characteristic that helps us Therefore, the ratio of time taken by sound in
identify the voice of a particular person. Two people aluminum and air,
may have the same pitch and loudness, but their Tair 6420
qualities will be different. = = 18.55
TAl 346
6. Flash and thunder are produced simultaneously. 9. The frequency of a source of sound is 100 Hz.
But thunder is heard a few seconds after the How many times does it vibrate in a minute?
flash is seen, why?
(Number of oscillation)
Ans. The speed of sound is 344 m/s whereas the speed Ans. Frequency =
Total time
of light is 3 × 108 m/s. The speed of sound is less
Number of oscillations = Frequency × Total time
as compared to that of light. Due to this reason,
the thunder takes more time to reach the Earth as Given,
compared to the light. Hence, lightning is seen Frequency of sound = 100 Hz
before we hear the thunder. Total time = 1 min (1 min = 60 s)
7. A person has a hearing range from 20 Hz to Number of oscillations or vibrations = 100 × 60
20 kHz. What are the typical wavelengths of = 6000
sound waves in air corresponding to these two The source vibrates 6000 times in a minute and
frequencies? Take the speed of sound in air as produces a frequency of 100 Hz.
344 m s−1.
10. Does sound follow the same laws of reflection as
Ans. For sound waves, light does? Explain.
Speed = Wavelength × frequency Ans. Yes. Sound follows the same laws of reflection as
v=λ×v light. The reflected sound wave and the incident
Speed of sound wave in air = 344 m/s sound wave make an equal angle with the normal
to the surface at the point of incidence. Also, the
(a) For v = 20 Hz
reflected sound wave, the normal to the point of
v 344 incidence, and the incident sound wave all lie in the
λ1 = = = 17.2 m
v1 20 same plane.

Sound 177
 11. When a sound is reflected from a distant object, Speed of sound = Wavelength × Frequency
an echo is produced. Let the distance between v=λ×n
the reflecting surface and the source of sound
production remains the same. Do you hear echo v 339
n= = = 22600 Hz.
sound on a hotter day? λ 0.015
Ans. An echo is heard when time interval between the The frequency of audible sound for human beings
reflected sound and the original sound is at least 0.1 lies between the ranges of 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.
second. As the temperature increases, the speed of The frequency of the given sound is more than
sound in a medium also increases. On a hotter day, 20,000 Hz, therefore, it is not audible.
the time interval between the reflected and original
15. What is reverberation? How can it be reduced?
sound will decrease and an echo is audible only if
the time interval between the reflected sound and Ans. The continuous multiple reflections of sound in
the original sound is greater than 0.1 s. a big enclosed space is reverberation. It can be
12. Give two practical applications of reflection of reduced by covering walls and ceiling of enclosed
sound waves. space with the help of sound absorbing materials
Ans. (i) Reflection of sound is used to measure the speed such as loose woollens, fibre boards.
and distance of underwater objects. This method 16. What is loudness of sound? What factors does it
is called SONAR. depend on?
(ii) Working of a stethoscope - the sound of patient’s
heartbeat reaches the doctor’s ear through multiple Ans. Loud sounds have high energy. Loudness directly
reflections of sound. depends on the amplitude of vibrations. It is
proportional to the square of the amplitude of
13. A stone is dropped from the top of a tower 500 m
high into a pond of water at the base of the tower. vibrations of sound.
When is the splash heard at the top? Given, 17. Explain how bats use ultrasound to catch prey.
g = 10 m s−2 and speed of sound = 340 ms−1.
Ans. Bats have the ability to produce high-pitched
Ans. Height (s) of tower = 500 m ultrasonic squeaks. These squeaks get reflected by
Velocity (v) of sound = 340 ms−1 objects like preys and return to their ears. This helps
Acceleration (g) due to gravity = 10 ms−2 a bat to know how far his prey is.
Initial velocity (u) of the stone = 0 18. How is ultrasound used for cleaning?
Time (t1) taken by the stone to fall to base of the
Ans. Objects that need to be cleansed are put in a
tower
cleaning solution and ultrasonic sound waves are
As per second equation of motion:
passed through the solution. The high frequency
s = ut1 + (½) g (t1)2 of ultrasound waves helps in detaching the dirt
500 = 0 × t1 + (½) 10 (t1)2 from the objects. In this way ultrasound is used for
(t1)2 = 100 cleaning purposes.
t1 = 10 s 19. Explain the working and application of a
Time (t2) taken by sound to reach top from tower SONAR.
500 Ans. SONAR is an abbreviation of Sound Navigation and
base = = 1.47 s.
340 Ranging. It is an acoustic device used in measuring
t = t1 + t2 the direction, speed, and depth of under-water
t = 10 + 1.47 objects viz. ship wrecks and submarines.
t = 11.47 s. Also, it is used to determine the depth of oceans
14. A sound wave travels at a speed of 339 m s–1.
If and seas.
its wavelength is 1.5 cm, what is the frequency of A beam of ultrasonic sound is produced which
the wave? Will it be audible?
travels through the sea water. When it gets reflected
Ans. Speed (v) of sound = 339 m s−1 an echo is produced which is detected and recorded
Wavelength (λ) of sound = 1.5 cm = 0.015 m by the detector. It is then converted into electrical

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 signals. The distance ‘d’ of the under-water object other end of a metal block. Since the defective part
is calculated from the time (represented as ‘t’) taken of the metal block does not allow ultrasound to pass
by the echo to return. This is expressed as, through it. It will not be detected by the detector.
2d = v × t. In this way, defects in metal blocks can be detected
with the help of ultrasound.
This method of measuring distance is also referred With
to as echo-ranging. Ultrasound No defect Ultrasound Ultrasound defect Ultrasound
waves detectors waves detectors

Water
SONAR Ship
Transducer Detector

Metal block Metal block

22. Explain how the human ear works.
Ultrasound Reflected
ultrasound Ans. Various sounds produced by particles in our
pulse surroundings are collected by pinna that transfers
pulse (Echo)
these sounds to the ear drum through the ear canal.
Bottom of sea The eardrum begins to vibrate back and forth briskly
as soon as the sound waves fall on it. The vibrating
Eardrum initiates the small bone hammer to vibrate.
20. A sonar device on a submarine sends out a signal These vibrations are passed from the hammer to the
and receives an echo 5 s later. Calculate the speed third bone stirrup via the second bone anvil. The
of sound in water if the distance of the object stirrup strikes the membrane of the oval window to
from the submarine is 3625 m. pass its vibration to the cochlea. The liquid in the
Ans. Time (t) taken to hear the echo = 5 s cochlea produces electrical impulses in the nerve
Distance (d) of object from submarine = 3625 m cells. These electrical impulses are carried to the
brain by the auditory nerve. They are interpreted by
Total distance travelled by sound during reception the brain as sound and hence we get a sensation of
and transmission in water = 2d hearing.
2d ( 2 × 3625) Three tiny ear bones
Velocity (v) of sound in water = =
t 5 Hammer Anvil Stirrup

= 1450 ms–1 Pinna

Sound Auditory
21. Explain how defects in a metal block can be waves nerve (Goes
detected using ultrasound. enter to brain)
here Ear
Ans. Defective metal blocks will not allow ultrasound to Ear
canal drum Oval
pass through it and reflect it back. This technique is Eustachian window
used in detecting defects in metal blocks. Make a tube (Goes
to throat)
set up as shown in the figure with ultrasound being Cochlea

passed through one end and detectors placed on the Outer ear Middle ear Inner ear

Sound 179