3/6/2017 SoundisaMechanicalWave

SoundisaMechanicalWave
SoundisaMechanicalWave
SoundasaLongitudinalWave
SoundisaPressureWave

Soundandmusicarepartsofoureverydaysensoryexperience.Justashumanshaveeyesforthe
detectionoflightandcolor,soweareequippedwithearsforthedetectionofsound.Weseldomtake
thetimetoponderthecharacteristicsandbehaviorsofsoundandthemechanismsbywhichsoundsare
produced,propagated,anddetected.Thebasisforanunderstandingofsound,musicandhearingisthe
physicsofwaves.Soundisawavethatiscreatedbyvibratingobjectsandpropagatedthrougha
mediumfromonelocationtoanother.Inthisunit,wewillinvestigatethenature,propertiesand
behaviorsofsoundwavesandapplybasicwaveprinciplestowardsanunderstandingofmusic.
AsdiscussedinthepreviousunitofThePhysicsClassroomTutorial,awavecanbedescribedasa
disturbancethattravelsthroughamedium,transportingenergyfromonelocationtoanotherlocation.
Themediumissimplythematerialthroughwhichthedisturbanceismovingitcanbethoughtofasa
seriesofinteractingparticles.Theexampleofaslinkywaveisoftenusedtoillustratethenatureofa
wave.Adisturbanceistypicallycreatedwithintheslinkybythebackandforthmovementofthefirstcoil
oftheslinky.Thefirstcoilbecomesdisturbedandbeginstopushorpullonthesecondcoil.Thispushor
pullonthesecondcoilwilldisplacethesecondcoilfromitsequilibriumposition.Asthesecondcoil
becomesdisplaced,itbeginstopushorpullonthethirdcoilthepushorpullonthethirdcoildisplaces
itfromitsequilibriumposition.Asthethirdcoilbecomesdisplaced,itbeginstopushorpullonthe
fourthcoil.Thisprocesscontinuesinconsecutivefashion,witheachindividual particle
actingtodisplace
theadjacentparticle.Subsequentlythedisturbancetravelsthroughtheslinky.Asthedisturbancemoves
fromcoiltocoil,theenergythatwasoriginallyintroducedintothefirstcoilistransportedalongthe
mediumfromonelocationtoanother.

Asoundwaveissimilarinnaturetoaslinkywaveforavarietyofreasons.First,thereisamediumthat
carriesthedisturbancefromonelocationtoanother.Typically,thismediumisair,thoughitcould
beanymaterialsuchaswaterorsteel.Themediumissimplyaseriesofinterconnectedandinteracting
particles.Second,thereisanoriginalsourceofthewave,somevibratingobjectcapableofdisturbing
thefirstparticleofthemedium.Thedisturbancecouldbecreatedbythevibratingvocalcordsofa
person,thevibratingstringandsoundboardofaguitarorviolin,thevibratingtinesofatuningfork,or
thevibratingdiaphragmofaradiospeaker.Third,thesoundwaveistransportedfromonelocationto
anotherbymeansofparticletoparticleinteraction.Ifthesoundwaveismovingthroughair,thenas
oneairparticleisdisplacedfromitsequilibriumposition,itexertsapushorpullonitsnearest
neighbors,causingthemtobedisplacedfromtheirequilibriumposition.Thisparticleinteraction
continuesthroughouttheentiremedium,witheachparticleinteractingandcausingadisturbanceofits
nearestneighbors.Sinceasoundwaveisadisturbancethatistransportedthroughamediumviathe
mechanismofparticletoparticleinteraction,asoundwaveischaracterizedasamechanicalwave.

ProductionandPropagationofSoundWaves
Thecreationandpropagationofsoundwavesareoftendemonstratedinclassthroughtheuseof
atuningfork.Atuningforkisametalobjectconsistingoftwotinescapableofvibratingifstruckbya
rubberhammerormallet.Asthetinesofthetuningforksvibratebackandforth,theybegintodisturb
surroundingairmolecules.Thesedisturbancesarepassedontoadjacentairmoleculesbythe
mechanismofparticleinteraction.Themotionofthedisturbance,originatingatthetinesofthetuning
forkandtravelingthroughthemedium(inthiscase,air)iswhatisreferredtoasasoundwave.The
generationandpropagationofasoundwaveisdemonstratedintheanimationbelow.
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/sound/Lesson1/SoundisaMechanicalWave 1/2
3/6/2017 SoundisaMechanicalWave

ManyPhysicsdemonstrationtuningforksaremountedonasoundbox.In
suchinstances,thevibratingtuningfork,being connected
tothesoundbox,
setsthesoundboxintovibrationalmotion.Inturn,thesoundbox,
being connected
totheairinsideofit,setstheairinsideofthesoundbox
intovibrationalmotion.Asthetinesofthetuningfork,thestructureofthe
soundbox,andtheairinsideofthesoundboxbeginvibratingatthesame
frequency,aloudersoundisproduced.Infact,themoreparticlesthatcan
bemadetovibrate,thelouderormoreamplifiedthesound.Thisconceptis
oftendemonstratedbytheplacementofavibratingtuningforkagainstthe
glasspanelofanoverheadprojectororonthewoodendoorofacabinet.
Thevibratingtuningforksetstheglasspanelorwooddoorintovibrationalmotionandresultsinan
amplifiedsound.
Weknowthatatuningforkisvibratingbecausewehearthesoundthatisproducedbyitsvibration.
Nonetheless,wedonotactuallyvisiblydetectanyvibrationsofthetines.Thisisbecausethetinesare
vibratingataveryhighfrequency.Ifthetuningforkthatisbeingused
correspondstomiddleConthepianokeyboard,thenthetinesarevibratingata
frequencyof256Hertzthatis,256vibrationspersecond.Weareunableto
visiblydetectvibrationsofsuchhighfrequency.Acommonphysics
demonstrationinvolves slowingdown
thevibrationsbythroughtheuseofa
strobelight.Ifthestrobelightputsoutaflashoflightatafrequencyof512Hz
(twotimesthefrequencyofthetuningfork),thenthetuningforkcanbe
observedtobemovinginabackandforthmotion.Withtheroomdarkened,the
strobewouldallowustoviewthepositionofthetinestwotimesduringtheir
vibrationalcycle.Thuswewouldseethetineswhentheyaredisplacedfartotheleftandagainwhen
theyaredisplacedfartotheright.Thiswouldbeconvincingproofthatthetinesofthetuningforkare
indeedvibratingtoproducesound.
InapreviousunitofThePhysicsClassroomTutorial,adistinctionwasmadebetweentwocategories
ofwaves:mechanicalwavesandelectromagneticwaves.Electromagneticwavesarewavesthathavean
electricandmagneticnatureandarecapableoftravelingthrough
avacuum.Electromagneticwavesdonotrequireamediuminorderto
transporttheirenergy.Mechanicalwavesarewavesthatrequireamedium
inordertotransporttheirenergyfromonelocationtoanother.
Becausemechanicalwavesrelyonparticleinteractioninordertotransport
theirenergy,theycannottravelthroughregionsofspacethatarevoidof
particles.Thatis,mechanicalwavescannottravelthroughavacuum.This
featureofmechanicalwavesisoftendemonstratedinaPhysicsclass.A
ringingbellisplacedinajarandairinsidethejarisevacuated.Onceairis
removedfromthejar,thesoundoftheringingbellcannolongerbe
heard.Theclapperisseenstrikingthebellbutthesoundthatitproducescannotbeheardbecause
therearenoparticlesinsideofthejartotransportthedisturbancethroughthevacuum.Soundisa
mechanicalwaveandcannottravelthroughavacuum.

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