Sound is a form of energy. It is produced when an object is set to vibrate, and it needs a medium to travel. Sound enables us to communicate with each other, and animals also communicate with members of their species with the help of sound. This chapter covers the production and propagation of sound, sound waves, the properties of sound, musical instruments, the human voice and ear, and noise pollution and the ways to control it.
1. Production of Sound
- Sound is produced when an object is set to vibrate.
- Vibration means a kind of rapid to and fro motion of a particle. This motion causes the substances around it to vibrate, and thus sound spreads to the surroundings.
- The substance through which sound is transmitted is called a medium. Sound moves through a medium from the point of generation to the listener.
- Such vibrations are seen in stringed instruments such as the guitar and sitar.
- The sound produced by vibration is propagated from one location to another; when it reaches our ear, we hear the sound.