What is a sound? How is the sound produced?

A sound is a form of energy produced by the vibration of matter. The sound is heard when it moves through the air or other medium and reaches the ear of a person or an animal.

How is the sound produced?

When an object, curtain, membrane, wire, etc. vibrates, its molecules transfer kinetic energy to each other. The rarefactions and compressions of the air proceed in such a way that the air does not move. Its molecules move/vibrate horizontally back and forth at their main location which is perceived by the auditory sense. Although kinetic energy is transferred but a lot of energy is lost before the sound is produced and heard.

Let's just take the example of a microphone, how much is its area However, in addition to this, the other area in which our voice spreads are more than microphone. We feel the sound of the mobile is small, but with the hand free installation, how much louder it sounds.

Physical Characteristics of Sound

There are five (5) physical properties of sound which are wavelength, amplitude, frequency, interval, and speed. Waves are also shown graphically as straight lines, but on closer inspection, these lines have troughs and crests. The sound spreads in longitudinal waves, it has rarefactions and compressions. The distance between two relative troughs or between two relative crests is called wavelength λ, which is measured in meters. (Rarefactions and compressions should be considered in the form of sound waves).

The distance to and fro motion of material particles is called amplitude, which is measured in meters. The displacement from the mean position to the extreme position is called (maximum displacement-xknot), while the displacement from the main position is called displacement - x. Which happens on the other side of the main place and it is measured in meters.

S.I unit of time is second. The number of wavelengths (λ) passing through a point in one second is called frequency. Its unit is cycle per second (cycle/sec) or hertz (hertz). Frequency is the opposite of time period. The time it takes for a wave (λ) to pass through a place is called a period. which is measured in seconds.

The distance traveled by sound in one second is called the speed of sound (v).

"light travels faster than sound"

Light is also a form of energy that has a dual nature. Particle nature (particle nature - photon) or wave nature (wave nature). But there are electromagnetic waves of light which are transverse waves while sound travels in mechanical waves and these are longitudinal waves. The speed of light in space is about 299,792,458 meters per second (3×10⁸ m/s).

          The speed of light is reduced in a material medium, which depends on the transparency of the medium, while sound cannot travel in space. The average speed of sound in dry air (0C° Temperature) is 331.29 meters per second, while the speed of sound in air at sea level (20C° Temperature) is 343 meters per second. The speed of sound changes in matter. Speed ​​increases in iron. You can't hear the sound of a distant train in the air, but you can hear it by putting your ear to the rail. There is a lot of reduction in the glass, so the glass is installed in the doors in the soundproof room. The speed of light is millions of times faster than the speed of sound

That's why lightning is seen first and noise is heard later in the rainy season.

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