1. Properties of Sound waves
Section 8.5

2. Key Terms Audible Sound Waves Infrasonic Wave Ultrasonic Wave Echo
Mach Number (M)
Pressure (p)
Sound Intensity
Decibel (dB)

3. Categories of Sound Waves
Sound waves fall into three categories covering different ranges of frequencies.
Audible sound waves
In the range of human hearing (20 Hz – 20 kHz)
Infrasonic waves
Frequencies below the audible range (< 20 Hz)
Ultrasonic waves
Frequencies above the audible range (> 20 kHz)

4. Applications of Ultrasonic Waves
Widely used in medical applications
Diagnostic tool AND treatment
Ultrasound Imaging
Transducer placed on mother’s abdomen
Emits ultrasonic waves
Reflected waves are picked up by transducer and converted into an electric signal that forms an image
Ultrasound Treatment
Ultrasonic waves used to break up kidney stones or promote healing in biological tissues.

5. Speed of Sound Depends on the density of the air and its temperature.
Value increases by m/s for every increase of 1oC.
T = temperature in oC

6. Sample Problem 1
The temperature outside is 23oC. What is the speed of sound in air at this temperature? G: T = 23oC R: v = ? A: v = m/s + (0.606 m/s/oC) T S: v = m/s + (0.606 m/s/oC)(23oC) = 345 m/s S: The speed of sound in air at 23oC is 345 m/s

7. Sample Problem 2
If the speed of sound is measured to be 318 m/s, what is the current air temperature? G: v = 318 m/s R: T = ? A: v = m/s + (0.606 m/s/oC) T S: T = 𝒗 −𝟑𝟑𝟏.𝟒 𝒎/𝒔 𝟎.𝟔𝟎𝟔 𝒎 𝒔 /oC = 𝟑𝟏𝟖 𝒎 𝒔 −𝟑𝟑𝟏.𝟒 𝒎/𝒔 𝟎.𝟔𝟎𝟔 𝒎 𝒔 /oC = oC S: The temperature of the air is oC

8. Practice Questions
Page 393
m/s oC
3. 31 oC

9. Mach Number
Ernst Mach researched sound waves and devised a way to describe air speeds of objects in terms of the speed of sound.
Ratio of airspeed to the local speed of sound
No units for M
Mach number is not fixed – depends on speed of sound in its vicinity

10. Sample Problem

11. Practice Problems Page 394 1. 0.73 2. 3.0 x 102 m/s = 1100 km/h
m/s = 1.0 x 103 km/h

12. Sound Intensity Loudness describes how humans perceive sound energy.
Depends on a quantity called sound intensity.
A sound wave is a longitudinal wave
Amplitude of a longitudinal wave is a difference in pressure
p= 𝐹 𝐴
The larger the amplitude, the louder the sound that is perceived.
The amount of sound energy being transferred per unit area is called sound intensity
Measured in W/m2

13. Human Perceptions of Sound Intensity
The threshold of human hearing ranges from about 1x10-12 W/m2 to about 1 W/m2
Easier to use decibels
The unit of sound level used to describe sound intensity level
1/10 of a bel (B)
The decibel commonly gives measurements on a scale of 0 to 100, sometimes exceeding 200
Decibels refer to sound level, not intensity, so an order of magnitude is an increase of 10 decibels.

14. Typical Sound Levels

15. Loudness and Distance
The farther you are from a sound, the quieter it becomes.
As the sound wave expands from the source, the total energy stays the same, but the area of air it acts on is greatly increased.
Loudness drops off quickly, but audible levels persist for quite a distance

16. Sound Safety
Any sound levels greater than 100 dB that persist for more than a few minutes will damage hearing.
The louder a sound, the less time that can be spent near it without damaging hearing.

17. Summary
Audible sound waves range from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Infrasonic waves have frequencies below 20 Hz. Ultrasonic waves have frequencies above 20 kHz.
We can apply our understanding of the properties of sound to technologies that benefit society.
The speed of sound through the atmosphere, in metres per second, is given by the relationship v = m/s + (0.606 m/s/°C) T, where T is the temperature in degrees Celsius.
Sound intensity is a measure of the energy flowing through the unit area due to a sound wave.
Human hearing can detect a range of sound intensities over many magnitudes in intensity.
Loudness levels are usually described on the decibel scale, which is more convenient than the range of values for sound intensity. Loudness levels are dependent on the distance from the source of the sound.
Sound levels in industry and recreation must be kept to a reasonable level to avoid hearing damage.

18. Homework
Page 397
Questions 1-7, 9, 10