Sound Flashcards
1
Q
What are the two components of sound?
A
- displacement component: molecule displacement
- pressure component: molecule compression
2
Q
Why is sound pressure level important?
A
- different animals have different thresholds
- humans is at 20db
- must use animals threshold for accurate experiment
3
Q
What causes a sound to be louder?
A
- greater membrane movement = greater amplitude
- greater amplitude = louder
4
Q
What causes a high pitch?
A
- greater frequency of membrane movement
5
Q
How is wavelength found?
A
- plotting distance vs pressure and measuring from peak to peak
- wavelength (lambda) (m) = speed of sound in medium (m/s)/ frequency(s-1)
6
Q
What component of sound is most important for propagation?
A
- propagation occurs by chain reaction of molecules
- displacement dissipates quickly
- pressure can be detected over long distances
7
Q
What causes a reduction in pressure as sound travels?
A
- spherical spreading: must cover more space
- can also be reflected, diffracted, absorbed and transmitted
8
Q
How do light and sound compare?
A
- both use wavelength and frequency ad exhibit ability to be diffracted, reflected..
- light is described by wavelength and is an electromagnetic wavelength
- sound is described by frequency and is a mechanical wave
9
Q
What happens to an echo when different sized objects produce them?
A
- large object (bigger than wavelength) will produce strong echo
- small object (smaller than wavelength) will produce no echo
- an object slightly greater than one wavelength will produce echo and sound shadow
