Waves

and Oscilla-ons
Lecture 13 Sound Waves
Textbook reference: 17.1-17.3

Kepler planets

Last -me: Standing Waves

Standing waves have the form:

y = 2A sin(kx) cos(t)
They can be split into a spa-al and a temporal
part.
The par-cles that make up the medium
undergo SHM with amplitude 2Asin(kx).

Last -me: Standing Waves

Nodes: points on a standing wave with zero

amplitude.
An*nodes: points on a standing wave at which
maximum displacement occurs
Natural frequencies
Fundamental: n=1

v
v
n
fn =
=n
=
n
2L
2L

Demo via YouTube

Rubens Tube demo with more re and good explana-on

Wa8: Standing Waves vibra-on

generator and wire
The different modes can be generated easily, and the dependence of the
frequency on tension shown.

Sound waves
Longitudinal waves
Can move in three dimensions
Need a medium/material to travel through
As sound waves travel through air they move
the molecules that make up the air, crea-ng
high and low pressure regions.
Can be modeled as a sinusoidal wave (like on a
string)

How to make a sound wave

and you thought we were done with pistons!

Compression
High Pressure
Rarefac-on
Low Pressure

Assuming the piston is being

moved with SHM

Sound Waves:
Compression waves
Compressible gas, ini-ally uniform
density
Piston suddenly moved to the right
Gas in front is compressed

Piston comes to rest, but

compression region con-nues to
move
Corresponds to a longitudinal pulse
travelling through the tube with speed
v
Speed of the piston is not the same as
the speed of the wave

Quan-ta-ve
Let s(x,
t)
be the posi-on of a small element
rela-ve to its equilibrium posi-on.
Each element moves with SHM parallel to
direc-on of the wave.
Displacement from equilibrium:

s(x, t) = smax cos(kx t)

smax is the displacement amplitude.

We can use this to derive an expression for the
pressure, which is also periodic.

Pressure
Consider a parcel of gas with thickness x

Vi = Ax

V = As = A(s1 s2 )
A deni-onBulk Modulus

volume stress
F/A
P
B
=
=
volume strain
V /Vi
V /Vi

V
P = B
Vi

Stress: force on a material

Strain: what happens to the material
under a given stress.

Pressure
As
P = B
Ax
s
P = B
x

P = B [smax cos(kx t)]

x

Using equa-on for s(x,t)

P = Bsmax k sin(kx t)

This is a Pressure Amplitude

Periodic Sound Waves:

Pressure vs. Displacement
A sound wave may be
considered either a
displacement wave or a pressure
wave
Since s (x, t) = smax cos (kx t) and
P = Bsmax k sin (kx t)
the pressure wave is 90o out of
phase with the displacement
wave

The pressure is a maximum when the
displacement is zero, etc.

If you blow across the top of an empty sof-drink bogle, a pulse

of sound travels down through the air in the bogle. At the
moment the pulse reaches the bogom of the bogle, what is
the correct descrip-on of the displacement of elements of air
from their equilibrium posi-ons and the pressure of the air at
this point?
1.
2.
3.
4.

The displacement and pressure are both at a maximum.

The displacement and pressure are both at a minimum.
The displacement is zero, and the pressure is a maximum.
The displacement is zero, and the pressure is a minimum.

If you blow across the top of an empty sof-drink bogle, a pulse of sound
travels down through the air in the bogle. At the moment the pulse
reaches the bogom of the bogle, what is the correct descrip-on of the
displacement of elements of air from their equilibrium posi-ons and the
pressure of the air at this point?

1.
2.

The displacement and pressure are both at a maximum.

The displacement and pressure are both at a minimum.

3. The displacement is zero, and the pressure is a

maximum.
4.

The displacement is zero, and the pressure is a minimum.

Because the bottom of the bottle is a rigid barrier, the displacement of elements of
air at the bottom is zero. Thus, the pressure variation is at a minimum or a
maximum. Since the pulse is moving downward, the pressure variation at the
bottom is a maximum see the diagram.

Lets take a short break

Pressure from sound waves

The speed of sound

Ini-al State

Final State
Force applied on piston from outside
is in equilibrium with force applied
by gas on the piston.

The speed of sound

Afer -me interval t

every bit of gas in the
element is moving to the
right with speed v
x
.
The speed of sound in this
medium is v
.

Impulse = momentum

I=

Ft = (AP t)i
Sum of forces, using deni-on of pressure P=F/A

The speed of sound

V
(vx At)
vx
P = B
= B
=B
Vi
vAt
v
From 8 slides ago where we dened B

Volumes come from diagram here:

I=

Ft = (AP t)i

Impulse from previous page

vx
I = (AB t)i
v

The speed of sound

vx
I = (AB t)i
v
Momentum of gas parcel. Impulse I causes a change in momentum p

p = mv = (Vi )(vxi 0) = (vvx At)i

vx
AB t = vvx At
v

v=

The speed of sound (liquid or gas)

v=

v=

elastic property
inertial property

v=

T
on a string

Speed of Sound in Air

The speed of sound also depends on the
temperature of the medium
Par-cularly important with gases

For air, the rela-onship between the speed and

temperature is
v = (331 m/s) 1 +

TC
273 C

331 m/s is the speed at 0o C

TC is the air temperature in Celsius

TK

Exercise for student: show that v = (331

m/s)
273
where TK is temperature in Kelvin

The speed of sound

Pressure and displacement

Pmax = Bsmax k = (v )smax ( ) = vsmax

v
Pressure amplitude
2

More useful to relate the maximum change in

pressure to density than to bulk modulus.

Intensity of Periodic Sound Waves

Waves carry energy, sound waves also carry
energy.
As a piston moves back and forward crea-ng
sound waves, it is doing work on a gas.

W =Fx
The rate of work done gives us the power

Power = F vx

Intensity of Periodic Sound Waves

Power = F vx

Power = [P (x, t)A]i [s(x, t)]i

t

Power = [vAsmax sin(kx t)] [smax cos(kx t)]

t
Power = vAsmax sin(kx t)[smax sin(kx t)]
Power = v 2 As2max sin2 (kx t)

Now we need to nd the average power over one period. This is

independent of x so we can choose any value of x, lets take x = 0.
We start by nding the average value of the sin2(kx t) term.
1
T

T
0

1
sin2 (0 t)dt =
T

T
0

sin2 (t)dt =

1 t
sin 2t T
1
( +
)0 =
T 2
2
2

Intensity of Periodic Sound Waves

The average power is then given by:

(Power)avg

1
2
2
= v Asmax
2

Intensity is the power per unit area:

(Power)avg
I
A

Intensity of Periodic Sound Waves

So for this case (the wave was moving in the x
direc-on)

1
2
I = v(smax )
2
Or in terms of pressure
(remember P
max
= vs
max
)

(Pmax )2
I=
2v

But sound waves can travel in 3

dimensions.
(Power)avg
I=
4r2
This is an inverse-square law
(happens all the -me in astrophysics!)
Homework Set 6:
PHYS 1121:
6, 7, 8, 12, 13
PHYS 1131:
7, 9, 10, 12, 15, 16

A vibra-ng guitar string makes very ligle sound if it is

not mounted on the guitar body. Why does the sound
have greater intensity if the string is agached to the
guitar body?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

The string vibrates with more energy.

The energy leaves the guitar at a greater rate.
The sound power is spread over a larger area at the listeners posi-on.
The sound power is concentrated over a smaller area at the listeners
posi-on.
The speed of sound is higher in the material of the guitar body.
None of these answers is correct.

A vibra-ng guitar string makes very ligle sound if it is not

mounted on the guitar body. Why does the sound have greater
intensity if the string is agached to the guitar body?
1.

The string vibrates with more energy.

2. The energy leaves the guitar at a greater rate.

3.
4.
5.
6.

The sound power is spread over a larger area at the listeners posi-on.
The sound power is concentrated over a smaller area at the listeners posi-on.
The speed of sound is higher in the material of the guitar body.
None of these answers is correct.

The large area of the guitar body sets many elements of air into oscillation and
allows the energy to leave the system by mechanical waves at a much larger rate
than from the thin vibrating string.

Ques-on
A sound wave propagates in air at 27o C with
frequency 4.00 kHz. It passes through a region
where the temperature gradually changes and
then moves through air at 0o C. Give numerical
answers to the following ques-ons to the extent
possible and state your reasoning about what
happens to the wave physically.
(a) What happens to the speed of the wave?
(b)What happens to the frequency?
(c) What happens to the wavelength?

QUESTION!!!!!
The faintest sounds the human ear can detect at
a frequency of 1000 Hz correspond to an
intensity of about 1.00 x 10-12 W/m2, which is
called the threshold of hearing. The loudest
sound that the ear can tolerate at this
frequency corresponds to an intensity of
about 1.00 W/m2, the threshold of pain.
Determine the pressure amplitude and
displacement amplitude associated with these
two limits.
= 1.2 kg/m
Sound speed c = 343 m/s
air

Ques-on
A point source emits sound waves with an
average power output of 80.0 W.
(a)Find the intensity 3.00 m from the source.
(b)Find the distance at which the intensity of
the sound is 1.00 x 10-8 W/m2.