Introduction to Waves

A wave is a disturbance in a medium which moves from one point to another and
carries energy without a net movement of particles. It may take the form of elastic
deformation or a variation of pressure.

E.g. A rubber cork on the water that goes up and down when a rock falls into the
water creates a ripple..

Types of waves
 Mechanical waves
These waves require a medium with elasticity and inertia to propagate. Examples include
water waves, sound waves, and seismic waves. Mechanical waves cannot travel through
a vacuum.
 Non-mechanical waves
These waves do not require a medium to propagate. Examples include light waves, radio
waves, X-rays, and gamma rays. Non-mechanical waves can travel through a vacuum at
their maximum speed. They can also travel through a medium, but their speed will be
reduced.

Particle Motion of Mechanical Waves

(i) Transverse Waves

Particle motion is perpendicular to the direction of wave motion. This type of wave is
a mechanical wave.

E.g.Light and Mexican wave in a stadium.

(ii) Longitudinal waves

Particles travel parallel to the direction of wave motion by means of successive

compressions or elongations. This is also a mechanical wave.

E.g. Sound waves in the air.

Dual nature of sound waves

Sound waves exhibit wave-particle duality, which means they can be described as both
waves and particles.
Explanation
 Wave nature
Sound waves are longitudinal waves, which means the particles in the medium
vibrate in the same direction as the wave travels. Sound waves travel through
mediums like solids, liquids, and gases.
 Particle nature
In quantum mechanics, particles and waves are interchangeable. This means that
matter can behave like particles, and particles can behave like waves.
Applications of sound waves
 Ultrasound: Used to detect cracks in metal, clean hard-to-reach parts of objects,
and investigate internal organs
 Echocardiography: Uses ultrasound waves to reflect the action of the heart and
create images
 Ultrasonography: Uses echoes of ultrasound waves to create pictures of
internal organs

Introduction to Sound Waves

Sound needs a medium to propagate. The matter or material through which
sound propagates is called a medium. When particles vibrate about their mean
positions, it pushes a region of compressed air, creating a region of high pressure,
followed by a region of low pressure as the particle retreats to its mean position. The
sound wave propagates by compressions and rarefactions of particles in a medium.
Sound propagation can be visualised as the propagation of pressure variations in the
medium.
Compression and rarefaction are parts of a sound wave that occur when a vibrating
object moves back and forth. Compression is a region of high pressure, and rarefaction
is a region of low pressure.

 Compression
A region where particles are close together, causing a temporary decrease in
volume.
 Rarefaction
A region where particles are far apart, causing a temporary increase in volume.

Characteristics of Sound Waves

Wavelength
The distance between two successive crests or troughs (or) successive compressions
and rarefactions is called wavelength (λ). The SI unit of wavelength is metre (m).
Time period
The time taken by two consecutive compressions or rarefactions to cross a fixed point
is called a Time period (T). The SI unit of time in seconds (s).

Frequency
The number of compressions or rarefactions per unit time is called frequency (𝛎).
The SI unit of frequency is Hertz. The SI unit is Hertz (s-1)
v=1T
Speed (v), wavelength (λ) and frequency (𝛎) are related as v=λ𝛎

Amplitude
The magnitude of disturbance in a medium on either side of the mean value is called
an amplitude (A).
As shown in the figure below, the unit of amplitude will be the density or pressure.
Distance between mean position and crest (maximum displacement).

Amplitude (A)

Characteristics of sound:

Pitch
The number of compressions or rarefactions per unit time. Directly proportional to
frequency.
 Representation of low and high pitch

Volume
The volume or loudness of a sound depends on the amplitude. The force with which
an object is made to vibrate gives the loudness.

Higher force → higher amplitude → louder sound

The amount of sound energy flowing per unit time through a unit area is called the
intensity of sound.

The Intensity of Sound

Note and Tone

A sound of a single frequency is called a tone. A sound produced with a mixture of
several frequencies is called a note.

Quality of Sound
The richness or timber of sound is called quality. Sound with the same pitch and
loudness can be distinguished based on the quality. Music is pleasant to the ears,
while noise is not. However, they both can have the same loudness and pitch.

Speed of Sound
Sound travels through different media at different speeds. The speed of sound
depends on the properties of the medium: pressure, density and temperature.

Speed of Sound: Solids > Liquids > Gases

Speed of sound in air = 331 m/s at 00C and 344 m/s at 22∘ C

When a source emits sound with speed greater than the speed of sound in air, it
creates a sonic boom which produces shockwaves with lots of energy. They produce a
very loud noise which is enough to shatter glass and damage buildings.

Reflection of Sound Waves

Like light, sound also follows laws of reflection, it bounces off the surface of solid and
liquid.

Echo
The phenomenon where a sound produced is heard again due to reflection is called an
echo.
E.g. Clapping or shouting near a tall building or a mountain.

To hear a distinct echo sound, the time interval between the original and reflected
sound must be at least 0.1s, as sound persists in our brain for about 0.1s. The
minimum distance for obstruction or reflective surface to hear an echo should be 17.2
m. Multiple echoes can be heard due to multiple reflections.

Sonar and Radar

SONAR – Sound Navigation And Ranging.

It is a technique that uses sound or ultrasonic waves to measure distance. The human
range of hearing is 20Hz- 20kHz.

What Are Ultrasonic Sounds?

Ultrasonic sounds are high-frequency sounds having a frequency greater than 20kHz
(inaudible range).

Applications of Ultrasound

(i) Scanning images of human organs

(ii) Detecting cracks in metal blocks
(iii) Cleaning parts that are hard to reach
(iv) Navigating, communicating or detecting objects on or under the surface of the
water (SONAR).

Sonar consists of a transmitter and detector mounted on a boat or ship. The

transmitter sends ultrasonic sound waves to the seabed, which get reflected back and
picked up by the detector. Knowing the speed of sound in water, distance can be
measured using:

2d=v×t.

This method is called echolocation or echo ranging.

To know more about the Uses of Radar, visit here.

Reverberation
The persistence of sound because of multiple reflections is called reverberation.
Examples: Auditorium and a big hall.
Excessive reverberation is undesirable, and to reduce this, halls and auditoriums have
sound-absorbing materials on the walls and roofs. E.g. Fibreboard and rough plaster.

To know more about Reverberation, visit here.

Doppler’s Effect
If either the source of sound or the observer is moving, then there will be a change in
frequency and wavelength for the observer. The frequency will be higher when the
observer moves towards the source, and it decreases when the observer moves away
from the source.

Example: If one is standing on a street corner and an ambulance approaches with its
siren blaring, the sound of the siren steadily gains in pitch as it comes closer and
then, as it passes, the pitch suddenly lowers.

To know more about Doppler’s Effect, visit here.

Human Ear
The ear is a sensitive organ of the human body. It is mainly involved with detecting,
transmitting and transducing sound and maintaining a sense of balance is another
important function of the human ear. The human ear includes:

 The outer ear, or the visible part of the ear, is called the pinna.
 Pinna collects sound from the surroundings.
 Sound passes through a tube called an auditory canal.
 Eardrum (tympanic membrane) vibrates in response to incident sound waves.
 Vibrations are amplified and transmitted further by three bones hammer, anvil and
stirrup in the middle ear to the inner ear.
 In the inner ear, the cochlea converts pressure signals into electrical signals.
 Electrical signals are transmitted by the auditory nerve to the brain for interpretation.

Human Ear