Physics Class: - Wave/Sound 1

SOUND: experiments on PITCH – LOUDNESS – QUALITY (or TONE of musical notes)

+ULTRASOUND
(Textbook pages 232 to 241)

Experiment conducted by groups of 3 students but to be filled in by each student. Write down the
answers to the question according to your observation FIRST! In case of doubts look into the
textbook.

1. PITCH

Exp. 29.10: a loudspeaker is connected to a signal generator (which produces different frequencies
as the pointer is moved to different positions)

Turn the pointer to lower and lower frequencies. What happens to the pitch of the note from the
loudspeaker?__________________________________________________________________________
What is the lowest frequency you can hear? _________________________________________________
What is the highest frequency you can hear? ________________________________________________
Does this vary from one person to another? _________________________________________________
What is the range of sound frequencies that human being can hear? (answer is in the book)
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Exp 29.12 + 29.13: an oscilloscope (a kind of television set) is very useful for showing vibrations. A
microphone is connected to an oscilloscope. Hold a tuning fork nearby. The oscilloscope shows on
the screen a transverse wave of the same frequency as the longitudinal sound wave from the tuning
fork.

Look at the waves on the screen caused by a low-pitched tuning fork and a high-pitched tuning fork.
What do you notice?__________________________________________________________________

Main conclusion: on what depends the pitch of a sound, and how?

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Draw 2 sketches representing what you see on the oscilloscope (2 mains cases) and label them.

2. LOUDNESS

Exp 29.14: Whistle a soft note into the microphone and then the same note but louder. Look at the
waves on the screen.

What do you notice? __________________________________________________________________

The loudness of a sound also depends on what? (answer is in the textbook) _______________________
___________________________________________________________________________________

Main conclusion: on what depends mainly the loudness of a sound, and how?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Physics Class: - Wave/Sound 2

Draw 2 sketches representing what you see on the oscilloscope (2 mains cases) and label them.

3. QUALITY (or TONE)

Exp 29.16: If a violin and a piano play the same note (at the same pitch and the same loudness), you can
still tell them apart because the notes have a different tone or quality.
Play 3 different musical instruments (tuning fork – organ pipe – guitar string) in front of a
microphone connected to an oscilloscope. Try to play the same note on each instrument and sketch
the waveform that you see (with labels). What do you notice?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

Draw 3 sketches – with labels – representing what you see on the oscilloscope:

Exp 29.17: Look at the oscilloscope while you sing or hum into the microphone. Try to keep the
same pitch and loudness but change the shape of your mouth with your lips and your tongue.
What do you notice ___________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

Main conclusion: on what depends mainly the quality (or tone) of a sound?
_____________________________________________________________________________________

4. ULTRASOUND: read carefully page 240 and 241 of your textbook and answer the questions:

What is an ultrasound? (what are 2 of its main characteristics – taken from the “speed of sound equation”-
compared to “normal” sounds?)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Explain why these characteristics make possible to use ultrasound for special purposes (objects we could
not analyze with "normal" sounds)?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Name 3 different uses of ultrasounds in scientific or practical life and explain briefly: