Sound waves Definition and 333 Threads

  1. S

    How sound waves detect faults in girders

    [PLAIN]http://postimage.org/image/4ure9j3sr/1. Homework Statement i have a physics questions about sound Sound waves are used to detect faults in girders. a cro is used to detect these faults, a pulse producer and a detector is placed on opposite sides of the detector. The safe detector...
  2. L

    How does stationary sound waves in open tubes happen?

    This is not a question as such, but it's for answering a homework question. I understand how stationary sound waves in a closed tube are formed, as they reflect off the closed end and the two waves traveling in opposite directions interfere to form a stationary resultant wave (that's how I was...
  3. J

    Factors that effect sound waves in water?

    1. For this question, I need to explain why sound waves emitted into ocean water sometimes fail to give accurate results. 2.I have thought about, the salt density and the waves traveling through different water temperatures, but need to expand on these two ideas and don't understand it enough to...
  4. J

    Light waves, photons; sound waves, phonons; water waves, hydrons ?

    Light waves, photons; sound waves, phonons; water waves, "hydrons"? Light waves are made of photons; sound waves are made of phonons; so are water waves made of "hydrons", and if so, how would they behave, and would it be possible to make a water laser or something similar based on these particles.
  5. M

    Sound Waves and Interference Problem - Check My Work?

    Okay, I have this problem worked out, but I have no clue if my answers are right. Could someone please check my work and give me some confidence or show me where I may have messed up. Homework Statement Two loudspeakers, one of them generates sound with 400 W power the other with 100 W. The...
  6. M

    Why does sound reflect and create an echo in certain conditions?

    1-why does sound intensity increase at night? 2-what makes diffraction of sound more observable than diffraction of light? 3-reflection of sound takes place when it falls on a reflecting surface whatever the distance between the vibrating source and the surface but in case of echo there are...
  7. K

    Sound waves versus equilibrium

    Postulate a parcel of air that is transmitting sound waves. Can that parcel ever be considered to be in a state of equilibrium? I maintain that it cannot. How say you?
  8. G

    Light versus sound waves : velocity

    I noticed that in water, sound travels faster than in air, but when light hits water, its velocity decreases. Is this because sound is a longitudinal wave and light is a transverse (electromagnetic) wave??
  9. T

    Question about sound waves - lengths and related

    Hello everybody, I'd really like to be able to explain what I hear in terms of wavelengths. My question could be split into a few, but I will try to focus on the main issue so it's more simple to answer. Situations in real life: It comes to my mind when I'm in live shows, the loud ones...
  10. A

    Sound Waves (simple harmonic motion and pressure dilemma)

    I've encountered a bit of a conceptual problem in my studies and I was hoping someone could help me out with this: I understand that the longitudinal sound wave takes the form of the equation s(x,t) = smcos(kx +/- wt), and that the equation for pressure variance produced by the sound wave...
  11. E

    Understanding Sound Wave Amplitude in the Equation s=Sm cos(kx-wt)

    i have a question about sound waves : we know that the equation of sound wave can be written in the form s=Sm cos(kx-wt) ,but i still don't get the meaning of Sm .I know that in the transverse wave ingeneral , and in particular the string the maximum amplitude is how much the string can go...
  12. R

    Can lasers affect sound waves?

    Yes, I realize this may not seem like a very smart question but allow me to give some background. I rent a room from a man in his 60s, let's call him Mr L. Mr L studied Pure Mathematics at university and was busy with his postgrad work when he suffered a schizophrenic breakdown. Because of...
  13. C

    Frequency and Intensity Level of Sound Waves

    (b) The frequency of sound waves received by a detector when both source and detector move relative to the air is: f=f0[u(+ or -)vd/u(+ or -)vs] . Two trains are approaching each other at a level crossing and blow their whistles at a frequency of 500 Hz. Train 1 is traveling at 20% of the...
  14. H

    Understanding the Relationship between Amplitude & Loudness of Sound Waves

    Homework Statement two sound waves of the same frequency have respective amplitudes of 3 units and 1 unit and are traveling in opposite directions in the same straight line.At a particular place in that line ,the resultant wave will vary in loudness.The ratio maximum loudness/minimum loudness...
  15. N

    Wireless energy transmission via sound waves

    Today in my high school physics class, we were shown that object 1 vibrating at object 2's natural frequency, can cause object 2 to vibrate. So since you are transferring energy, i was wondering if its possible to use ultrasonic or infrasonic sound waves to vibrate a magnet, causing a current to...
  16. H

    Standing sound waves created in a pipe, question about resonances

    Hey guys i have a question for my lab report that i can't solve. We did a lab where we had a pipe and produced sound resonance in there, using a generator to vary the frequencies and we recorded our data. the general formula is for the closed pipe, fn= n (v/4L) and wavelenght= 4L/n. The...
  17. S

    The Physics of Sound Waves in Musical Instruments

    Is the sound of one note generated by a musical instrument an example of a single sound wave or a group of in-phase (coherent) sound waves?
  18. K

    Doppler Effect: Wavelengths of Sound Waves

    Homework Statement I read that when a body approaches a stationary one which emits radar waves, the wavelength λ2 of the returned waves is longer than λ1, the wavelength of the emitted ones, but I get the opposite. I suppose this is true for sound waves also. See picture. The Attempt at a...
  19. X

    Constructive/Deconstructive Sound Waves

    Sound waves, like light waves, can interfere w/ each other, giving max and min levels of sound. Suppose a listener standing directly between 2 loudspeakers hears the same tone being emitted from both. This listener observes that when one of the speakers is moved 0.16 m farther away, the...
  20. S

    Finding wavelength of sound waves

    Homework Statement The two speakers are producing identical sound waves. The solid lines represent constructive interference regions and the dashed lines represent destructive interference regions. The point labeled 4 is 1228.5 m from the bottom speaker and 1618.5 m from the top speaker...
  21. D

    Derive position on paper using sound waves?

    After watching the video below, I came up with the idea of using a piece of paper as a keyboard much like Mistry did for a mouse. I am only in high school, but I'm sure you can measure position via sine waves which relates to the sin trig function (the reason I posted here; if wrong thread, mods...
  22. C

    Sound waves speed and intensity on wood,metal and cement

    Which one do you think does a sound wave travel faster ?How can I experiment on this? Thanks :)
  23. S

    What is the relationship between Sound waves and temperatures?

    Hi Everyone, Currently I am studying Stationary Waves and the relationships between the standing wave pattern for a given harmonic and the length-wavelength relationships for open end air columns. I came across a statement that says that there is a relationship between temperature and sound...
  24. D

    Putting sound waves in phase problem

    Homework Statement When the two microphones are at the same distance from the speaker, the two signals are in phase. For the phase difference shown (the two waves are separated by .001ms) , and given your value for the speed of sound(330m/s) , what is the minimum distance between the two...
  25. M

    How to Derive and Apply the Intensity Equation for Sound Waves in Air?

    Homework Statement Show that the intensity of a sound wave passing through air is given by the equation I=1/2ρvω²A², where ρ is the density of air. Assuming that the minimum sound intensity which a human ear can detect is 10-12W/m² at a frequency of 1kHz, calculate the amplitude and...
  26. O

    How Fast Do Sound Waves Travel in Ocean Water?

    [b]1. A stationary research ship uses sonar to send a 1.18 × 103-hertz sound wave down through the ocean water. The reflected sound wave from the flat ocean bottom 324 meters below the ship is detected 0.425 second after it was sent from the ship. a. Calculate the speed of the sound wave in...
  27. D

    Chirping Bat and Distance to Moth - Sound Waves

    Homework Statement A bat emits a chirping sounds of frequency 67 kHz while hunting for moths to eat. Suppose the bat emits a chirp that lasts for 1.00 ms adn then is silent while it listens for the echo. If the beginning of the echo returns just after the outgoing chirp is finished, how...
  28. Q

    Sound waves propagation problem

    Homework Statement A loudspeaker at the origin emits sound waves on a day when the speed of sound is 340 m/s. A crest of the wave simultaneously passes listeners at the{xy} coordinates (43 ,0) and (0,33).What are the lowest two possible frequencies of the sound? Homework Equations v(sound)=...
  29. N

    Transverse and Longitudinal Sound Waves

    What causes sound waves to be solely longitudinal in gas, liquid, and plasmas, but enables longitudinal and transverse in solids? Also, does solids only mean crystalline structures or are amorphous materials also able to support transverse sound waves?
  30. P

    Light & Sound Waves: Thermal Energy & Frequency

    1. As the sound wave propagates away from the source, the energy is "thermally eaten". So, there is a gradual decrease in kinetic energy of the vibrating particles. Doesn't that lower the frequency of the sound wave? (i first considered from the classical energy point of view and then wondered...
  31. T

    How is sound waves with timbre, etc. represented electronically?

    Sorry if this is a no-brainer, but I just can't seem to find much info about this.. All sources only talk about a single wave, most often a sinusoidal wave, and never mentions how the situation is like when there is a complicated sound signal with lots of stuff going on (different timbres for...
  32. B

    How to Calculate Sound Pressure from Displacement Wave?

    Homework Statement Consider a sound wave in air of density 1.2 kg/m3. The displacement wave has the form s(x,t)=smaxcos(kx-\omegat) where k=8.79rad/m, \omega=3021.6 rad/s and smax=2.51 x 10-7m. Calculate the sound pressure \DeltaP(x,t) of this wave at x=0.282m and t=0.00137s. Answer in units...
  33. L

    Atoms & Sound Waves: Science vs Religion

    In an argument of sorts with another college classmate, please help. We were argueing science and religion. She stated that all life is made up of atoms, and atoms are now shown to be made up of soundwaves also. Not possible correct?
  34. B

    If light causes radiation pressure, what about sound waves?

    What if I put a light object like a small paper boat in front of a large subwoofer and a loud sine wave was played, will that object move away from the sub woofer? Will the paper boat move away too if the above experiment was done in microgravity? The purpose of microgravity experiment is to...
  35. C

    Sound Waves Conceptual Question

    1. You are standing some distance from a jackhammer where the sound intensity is bearable. You then walk half the distance toward the jackhammer. The change in sound level is about: The given answer is 6dB. I am not sure if this problem requires knowing what intensity "bearable"...
  36. J

    Why did Author Use Cosine/Sine for Periodic Sound Waves?

    Homework Statement I am confused with why the author uses this form for periodic sound waves. Why did he use cosine instead? Later, he states Note he uses sin this time. I know that the difference between sine and cosine is the phase offset, by 90 degrees. But why did the...
  37. N

    Exploring Uses of Sound Waves to Detect Vehicle Speed Limits

    I'm just curious on how can sound waves be used to detect if cars are over the speed limit? :)
  38. F

    Sound waves patterns produced by rifle fire

    I,ve noticed that when I fire a rifle that my left ear feels the most damage were my right ear feels allmost no damage. How can that be when my right ear is closest to the rifle chamber? I am right-handed.
  39. Z

    Particle-wave duality of sound waves

    I am extremely confused when it comes to particle-wave duality outside of the electromagnetic spectrum and quantum world. Are sound waves strictly waves or do they have "particle"-like aspects? I understand that every particle has its own wave. Does this apply to every wave having a...
  40. Z

    Intensity of periodic sound waves

    Homework Statement A firework charge is detonated many meters above the ground. At a distance of 400m from the explosion, the acoustic pressure reaches a maximum of 10.0 N/m2. Assume that the speed of sound is constant at 343 m/s throughout the atmosphere over the region considered, that the...
  41. M

    Speed of Sound Waves: Echoes in a Canyon

    Homework Statement A cowboy stands on horizontal ground between two parallel vertical cliffs. He is not midway between the cliffs. He fires a shot and hears it echoes. The second echo arrives 1.92s after the first and 1.47s before the third. Consider only the sound traveling parallel to the...
  42. H

    How Do Doppler Effect and Spring Motion Influence Perceived Sound Frequencies?

    A block with a speaker bolted to it is connected to a spring having spring constant k= 20.0 N/m as in Figure P17.40. The total mass of the block and speaker is 5.00 kg, and the amplitude of this unit's motion is 0.500 m. (a) If the speaker emits sound waves of frequency 440 Hz, determine the...
  43. U

    How Medium & Temperature Affect Sound Waves: Frequency, Wavelength & Speed

    Homework Statement (1) A sound wave is traveling through air medium, if the medium is replaced by water, how that will affect the wavelength, frequency and speed of the wave ? (2) If the temperature of the air changed, how that will affect the wavelength, frequency and speed of the wave ...
  44. N

    Understanding Frequency in Open and Closed Organ Pipes

    I have to draw frequency on an open and closed pipe. The top horizontal row is open organ pipe and the second horizontal row is a closed pipe. I have draw the frequency of sound on these but the open entrance of the sound is what is confusing me. Are these correct?
  45. J

    Determining overtones of sound waves in a pip

    Homework Statement Standing sound waves are produced in a pipe that is 1.60 {\rm m} long. 1) the pipe is closed at the left end and open at the right end , determine the locations along the pipe (measured from the left end) of the displacement nodes for the first overtone. 2) If the pipe is...
  46. J

    Wavelength of sound waves and speed of sound in air column

    [b]1. You perform an experiment with a long column of air and a tuning fork. The column of air is defined by a very long vertical plastic tube with a circular cross section; the upper end of the tube is open to the outside air and the lower end of the tube is filled with water. The column of air...
  47. G

    Wave Interference and sound waves

    Homework Statement Two loudspeakers emit sound waves along the x-axis. A listener in front of both speakers hears a maximum sound intensity when speaker 2 is at the origin and speaker 1 is at x= 0.540 m. If speaker 1 is slowly moved forward, the sound intensity decreases and then...
  48. L

    What is the wavelength of the sound waves?

    Homework Statement a stationary sound wave has a series of nodes. The distance between the first and the sixth node is 30.0 cm. What is the wavelength of the sound waves? Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution well no idea about it but in my attempt to solve it, i tried...
  49. K

    Sound waves propagated as transverse waves

    hello can somebody tell me why sound waves can't be propagated as transverse waves? thanks in advance
  50. A

    Interference of Two Sound Waves: Phase Difference & Intensity

    Consider two loudspeakers (emitting sound waves of the same amplitude and wavelength of 15m) and an observer located in the x−y plane, with the two loudspeakers being at (2m, 0) and (−2m, 0), respectively, and the observer being at (0, 3m) initially. (i) Suppose the intensity of the combined...
Back
Top