Nature Of Sound Questions Flashcards
What are sound waves?
Compression waves created by a physical vibration source and move through the air to a receiver. To be a steady tone it has to be a repeating cycle of waves.
Frequency
Number of times per second the cycle of the sound wave repeats. Measured in Hertz (Hz)
Frequency
Number of times per second the cycle of the sound wave repeats. Measured in Hertz (Hz)
What is the frequency of human hearing?
20 Hz - 20,000 Hz. Musical pitches are usually below 8,000 Hz.
Wavelength and how it’s measured
Physical distance covered by one complete cycle of a sound wave. Divide speed of sound by the frequency.
344m/sec. At sea level and 60 degrees F.
Amplitude
Reflects the energy in the sound wave
Amplitude is measured in?
Decibels (dB SPL)
Human heading 0dB - 130 dB (threshold for pain)
Attenuation is?
Loss ld the energy (Amplitude) as the sound wave moves through a medium
Waveform and the types?
Shape of the sound wave.
Sine (fundamental frequency only)
Square (odd harmonics only)
Sawtooth (even and odd harmonics)
Overtones are also called?
Partials or harmonics.
The first harmonic is also called?
The fundamental
Which harmonics in the series are out of tune?
7th, 11th and 14th
b7, #4(#11) and b7
Phase
Measurement of how far in degrees a sound wave has traveled in its cycle.
Starts at 0 degrees and ends/completes at 360 degrees.
Can also describe relationship between two similar waves
Resonance
Physical phenomenon that occurs when the vibrations from one source are transferred to another object
Reflection
Sound wave collides with an object and bounces off. Sound will lose amplitude due to absorption.
