Sound — Flashcards

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Sound is a form of energy that produces a sensation of hearing in our ears. It is produced when objects vibrate. Examples: tuning fork, vocal cords, musical instruments. All sound-producing objects mu…

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Vibration means a kind of rapid to and fro motion of an object. When objects vibrate, they set particles of the surrounding medium into motion, which creates sound waves. Without vibration, no sound c…

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A medium is the matter or substance through which sound is transmitted. It can be solid, liquid, or gas. Sound cannot travel through vacuum as it needs particles of matter to propagate. Air is the mos…

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Sound propagates as a wave through compressions and rarefactions. When an object vibrates, it creates regions of high pressure (compressions) and low pressure (rarefactions) in the medium. The disturb…

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Compressions (C) are regions of high pressure where particles are crowded together. Rarefactions (R) are regions of low pressure where particles are spread apart. Sound waves consist of alternating co…

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Sound waves are longitudinal waves because the particles of the medium vibrate parallel to the direction of wave propagation. The particles oscillate back and forth about their rest position, creating…

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Wavelength is the distance between two consecutive compressions or two consecutive rarefactions. It is represented by λ (lambda). Its SI unit is metre (m). Wavelength determines the spatial period of …

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Frequency (ν) is the number of complete oscillations per unit time. Its SI unit is hertz (Hz). Time period (T) is the time taken for one complete oscillation. They are related by: ν = 1/T…