Saturday, January 14, 2012

20 Sound Notes

And by notes, no, I do not mean musical notes, I mean taking notes or points in writing.

Basically the notes are about waves and the speed of sound.
  • A vibrating source moves with simple oscillating motion 
  • A transverse wave is when the direction of wave travel is perpendicular to the motion of the source (for example, light)
  • A longitudinal wave is when the direction of wave travel is parallel to the motion of the source (for example, sound)
  • A cycle is a complete sequence of motion
  • Wavelength, represented by 
    , is the length in metres of one cycle
  • Period, represented by T, is the time it takes to complete one cycle in seconds
  • Frequency (f): the number of cycles / time, measured in Hertz (Hz)
  • Amplitude: the maximum displacement (height) of the wave from 0
  • The wave equation is v = 
    f, which is derived from the kinematics formula v =
    D
    d / 
    D
    t
  • Dense areas of sound waves are compressions
  • Less dense areas of sound waves are rarefactions
  • Factors that affect the speed of sound: the producer, the temperature and density of its medium
  • Stiffer materials result in a faster speed of sound
  • vs = 332 m/s + (0.6 m/s 
    ÷
      °C) (T °C)
  • Speeds close to the speed of sounds are measured in Mach numbers
  • < Mach 1 is subsonic
  • > Mach 1 is supersonic
  • Examples of planes/aircraft that have approached and surpassed the speed of sound include Concorde, while Boeing, although fast, is still subsonic
  • The sound barrier is when pressure is built up when something approaches the speed of sound and catches up to its own sound waves, creating a "wall"
  • A plane breaking the sound barrier creates cone-shaped shock waves that hit the Earth's surface, where the sound is heard as a "boom". This is a sonic boom. 

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