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3 Marks each
Question 1:
(a) What is one vibration in a second called as?
(b) A tuning fork produces 256 waves in four seconds. Calculate the
frequency of the tuning fork.
[CBSE 2013]
Answer 1:
(a) One Hertz (Hz) is defined as one vibration in one second.
(b) Frequency =

256
4

= 64 Hz.

Therefore, the frequency of the tuning fork is 64 Hz.

Question 2:
(a) Suppose a person whistles standing on the moon. Will the person
standing nearby hear the sound? Explain giving reasons.
(b) What kind of wave needs a material medium to propagate?
[CBSE 2013]
Answer 2:
(a) No, the person standing nearby would not be able to hear the whistle
as there is no atmosphere on the moon. Sound waves needs medium for
travelling, but the moon has no medium for the propagation of sound.
Therefore, no sound could be heard.
(b) Mechanical waves need material medium to propagate. For example:
sound waves.

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Question 3:
A nail was gently touched by the hammer and then was hit harder.
(a) When will be the sound created louder?
(b) Which characteristic of sound here is responsible for change in sound?
(c) Give the SI unit of loudness.
[CBSE 2013]
Answer 3:
(a) Sound is produced only when the nail is hit harder not when it is
gently touched.
(b) Amplitude of the pulsating body.
(c) The SI unit of loudness is decibel (dB)

Question 4:
What are ultrasonic waves? Name one animal which emits ultrasonic
waves and explain how it uses the waves? What is the role of ultrasonic
waves in medical science?
[CBSE 2012]
Answer 4:
Ultrasonic waves are those waves which have frequency more than 20
kHz.
Bats use ultrasonic waves to fly and search for their prey at night without
colliding.
Bat produces ultrasound waves in the direction of its way and hear back
the echoes produced by reflection of the waves while striking the object
in the path. Through this process they judge the position of the object and
change their path.
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Role of ultrasound waves in Medical science:

Imaging of internal body structure and functioning of heart in humans.

Breaking of stones produced in kidney into smaller ones to flush out
through urination.
Observing the foetus development in the mothers womb for any
abnormality or defect.

Question 5:
Give reasons for the following:
(a) The reverberation time of a hall used for speeches should be very short.
(b) A vibrating body produces sound. However, no sound is heard when
a simple pendulum oscillates in air.
(c) Sounds of same loudness and pitch, but produced by different musical
instruments such as violin and flute are distinguishable.
[CBSE 2012]
Answer 5:
(a) The time for which the sound persists in the atmosphere after the
sound has stopped producing from the source is known as Reverberation
time. If reverberation time of a hall is long, then the multiple echoes
produced would interfere with the original sound, and the speeches
would not be heard clearly and distinctly.
(b) Sound is produced only when the frequency of the wave is greater
than 20 Hz. As a simple pendulum produces waves less than 20Hz they
cannot be heard.
(c) The quality or timbre is the characteristic which helps in distinguishing
two sounds of same pitch and loudness. So, the musical instruments like
violin and flute produces distinguishable sound.

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Question 6:
Define the term tone. A person is listening to a sound of 500 Hz sitting
at a distance of 450 m from the source of the sound. What is the time
interval between successive compressions reaching his ears from the
source?
[CBSE 2012]
Answer 6:
Tone is the sound of single frequency.
Given,
Frequency, f = 500 Hz;
Distance, s = 450 m
Time period, T=?
1

500

T= =

= 0.002s

Therefore, the time interval will be 0.002 s

Question 7:
(a) State a condition for an echo to be heard.
(b) Bats cannot see, then how do they catch their Prey.
[CBSE 2011]
Answer 7:
(a) For echo to be heard the minimum distance between the source and
the obstacle should be 17.2 m.
(b) Bats produce ultrasonic waves in the direction of their way. They hear
back the echoes produced by the reflection of waves while striking their
prey. By this the position of prey is judged and is being eaten by the bat.

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Question 8:
In the figure given here, a displacement-distance graph for a wave is
shown. The wave velocity is 320 m/s. Find
(a) Wavelength
(b) Frequency
(c) Amplitude

[CBSE 2011]
Answer 8:
(a) Wavelength, = Distance between two consecutive crests = 0.4 m

(b) Frequency, f =

320
0.4

= 800 Hz

(c) Amplitude = During wave propagation, the maximum displacement

of particles in a medium from mean position = 2 cm

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Question 9:
Explain a technique to find fault in a block of metal using reflection of
sound.
[CBSE 2010]
Answer 9:
Ultrasound waves are used to detect a fault in a block of metal using
reflection of sound. These waves are made to pass through one side of the
metal block. The detectors placed on the other side detect the transmitted
waves. If there is any flaw or defect like crack or hole, etc. then ultrasound
gets reflected back and does not reach the detector.

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5 Marks each
Question 1:
(a) Give three medical uses of ultrasound.
(b) A ship which is stationary is at a distance of 2800 m from the sea-bed.
The Ship sends an ultrasound signal to the sea-bed and its echo is heard
after 4 s. Find the speed of sound in water.
[CBSE 2014]
Answer 1:
(a) Ultrasound can be used in:
(i) Monitoring foetus during pregnancy.
(ii) Medical imaging of internal organs to check their size, structure and
physiological functioning in humans.
(iii) Breaking kidney stones into smaller sizes to flush out in the urine.
(b) Given,
Distance, d = 2800 m
Time, t = 40 sec
Velocity, v =?
Total distance travelled by sound = speed of sound time
So, 2d = v t
v = 2d / t
v = 2 2800 / 4
= 1400 m/sec

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Question 2:
State reason for the following statements:
(a) Ceiling of good conference halls and concert halls are curved.
(b) We hear sound produced by the humming bees while that of moving
pendulum is not heard.
(c) Sound waves are mechanical waves.
(d) Sometimes we hear echo of sound.
(e) People in their old age suffering from hearing loss, wear hearing aids.
[CBSE 2012]
Answer 2:
(a) Ceiling of good conference halls and concert halls are curved so that
the sound waves after reflecting from these walls reaches every part of
the hall and can be easily heard by the listeners.
(b) We hear sound produced by the humming bees while that of moving
pendulum is not heard. This is because the frequency of vibration of
wings of bees is in the audible range of Humans (20Hz to 20 kHz) whereas
frequency of vibrations of pendulum is less than 20 Hz so cannot be heard.
(c) Sound waves are mechanical waves as they need material medium for
propagation which is the characteristic of the mechanical waves.
(d) We sometimes hear the echo of a sound produced because the distance
between the source of the sound and the obstacle is at least 17.2.
(e) People in their old age suffering from hearing loss, wear hearing aids
because hearing aid amplifies the electrical signal and converts it into
sound which can then be heard much clearly by the old people.
(f) People in their old age suffering from hearing loss, wear hearing aids.
This is because hearing aid amplifies the electrical signal and converts it
into sound which can then be heard much clearly by the old people.

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Question 3:
(a) The stone is dropped from a tower of 500 m height into a pond of water
at the base of the tower. When is the splash heard at the top? (Given g =
10 ms2 and speed of sound = 340 ms1).
(b) How do the sound waves cause vibrations in the eardrum of human
ear?
[CBSE 2010]
Answer 3:
(a) Given,
Height of the tower, h = 500m
Time taken by stone to reach water surface from the top of the tower:
1
= + 2
2
2

2500

Time 1 = =

10

= 100 = 10

Time taken by the sound to reach the object:

=

500

Time 2 = 340 = 1.47

Time at which splash is heard at the top:

= t1+t2=10+1.47=11.47s
(b) Sound waves are longitudinal waves which vibrate back and forth in
the direction of its movement. It consists of compressions and rarefactions
which results in pressure variation in the medium. This causes vibrations
in the eardrum of human ear with required frequency and hence the
sound becomes audible.

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