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Sound - Characteristics of Sound: Amplitude and Frequency

Grade 8CBSE

Review the key concepts, formulae, and examples before starting your quiz.

🔑Concepts

Sound is produced by vibrating objects. Vibration is the rapid back-and-forth motion of an object about its mean position.

Amplitude (AA) is the maximum displacement of a vibrating object from its central or mean position. It determines the loudness of the sound.

Loudness is directly proportional to the square of the amplitude of vibration. If the amplitude is doubled, the loudness increases by a factor of 44. Loudness is expressed in the unit decibel (dBdB).

Frequency (ff) is defined as the number of oscillations or vibrations per second. Its SI unit is Hertz (HzHz).

The pitch or shrillness of a sound is determined by its frequency. A higher frequency results in a higher pitch (e.g., a bird's chirp), while a lower frequency results in a lower pitch (e.g., a lion's roar).

Time Period (TT) is the time taken by a vibrating object to complete one full oscillation. It is the reciprocal of frequency.

The range of audible frequencies for the human ear is roughly between 20extHz20 ext{ Hz} and 20,000extHz20,000 ext{ Hz}.

📐Formulae

f=Total Number of OscillationsTotal Time Taken (t)f = \frac{\text{Total Number of Oscillations}}{\text{Total Time Taken (t)}}

T=1fT = \frac{1}{f}

Loudness(Amplitude)2\text{Loudness} \propto (Amplitude)^2

💡Examples

Problem 1:

A simple pendulum oscillates 4040 times in 44 seconds. Find its frequency and time period.

Solution:

f=404=10 Hzf = \frac{40}{4} = 10\text{ Hz} T=110=0.1 sT = \frac{1}{10} = 0.1\text{ s}

Explanation:

Frequency is calculated by dividing the total oscillations by the time in seconds. The time period is the inverse of the frequency.

Problem 2:

If the amplitude of a sound wave is increased from AA to 3A3A, how many times will the loudness increase?

Solution:

Initial Loudness (L1)A2\text{Initial Loudness } (L_1) \propto A^2 New Loudness (L2)(3A)2=9A2\text{New Loudness } (L_2) \propto (3A)^2 = 9A^2 Ratio L2L1=9A2A2=9\text{Ratio } \frac{L_2}{L_1} = \frac{9A^2}{A^2} = 9

Explanation:

The loudness of sound is proportional to the square of its amplitude. Therefore, tripling the amplitude increases the loudness by 32=93^2 = 9 times.

Problem 3:

A source produces sound with a frequency of 500 Hz500\text{ Hz}. How many times does it vibrate in 11 minute?

Solution:

f=500 Hzf = 500\text{ Hz} Time (t)=1 minute=60 seconds\text{Time } (t) = 1\text{ minute} = 60\text{ seconds} Total Vibrations=f×t=500×60=30,000\text{Total Vibrations} = f \times t = 500 \times 60 = 30,000

Explanation:

Frequency represents vibrations per second. To find total vibrations in a minute, multiply the frequency by 6060 seconds.

Characteristics of Sound: Amplitude and Frequency Revision - Class 8 Science CBSE