Lab 8- Sound Waves

Noah Vitorelo & Diana Reyes

Terminology
Frequency - Number of vibrations per unit of time

Wavelength - Distance between successive parts of a wave

Standing waves - A stationary wave with a constant amplitude

Node - Point of a wave where amplitude is zero

Antinode - Point of a wave where amplitude is greatest

Overview
❏ Introduction to sound waves

❏ In-class experiment

❏ Our findings

❏ Sound waves in everyday life

Introduction
TOPIC

Measuring the speed of sound and understanding how sound waves

travel.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this lab is to be able to explain how sound waves travel
and we can use it to explain why we see lightning before we hear
thunder
Experiment A: Sound Waves
❏ In our experiment we recorded electronic signals of sound
waves using a microphone that was connected to the
computer.

❏ We recorded the sound waves produced by the tuning fork

by placing the microphone in the tuning fork box.

❏ The computer produced the visual representation of sound

waves, and each tuning fork had a different sound wave
image.
Experiment B: Standing Waves
❏ In the second part of our experiment we set a function
generator to a frequency of 350 Hz.

❏ We were able to compare the wave produced by the tuning

fork from experiment A to the function generator from
experiment B.

❏ We were expecting to hear a loud sound and see a sound

wave with a large amplitude on the computer screen.
Results
Part A

Tuning fork E produced a different

shape and formed a beat, which is
shown by the dissonance, as
compared to tuning fork A.

Part B

The sound wave produced by the

function generator produces a
slightly higher frequency than the
sound wave produced by the
tuning fork in question 2

We found that the average speed of

Real World Applications
The Doppler Effect is the apparent change of frequency of waves, whether
they be light or sound, occurring when the source and the observer are
moving relative to each other.

The frequency is increasing as they approach each other and decreasing as

they move away from each other.

An example of this is when you hear sirens or car horns as they come
near you and when they travel away from you.
The Doppler Effect
Real World Applications
Compared to light waves, sound waves travel relatively slow. This is why we
can see phenomena before we hear it. Speed of light is roughly 900,000 times
faster!
Speed of Light- 299 792 458 m / s Speed of Sound- 340 . 2 m / s

Thunder and Lightning

During a thunderstorm, we see lightning strike and then hear thunder

because when the lightning strikes, the air along its path rapidly heats up and
expands. The pressure wave produced is perceived as sound, which we call
thunder.
Real World Applications
Plane vs. Location

This same idea can be applied to hearing a plane and seeing its position in the sky.
When we hear a plane directly above us, then look up, the plane is a significant
distance away. This is because the sound wave travels slower , so when the light source
(the plane) was directly above, the sound was actually farther behind the plane.
Real World Applications
Conclusion
Overview of Experiment Results

Results were as close as they could be to the speed of sound.

Were the objectives met?

The objectives of the experiment were completed.

Recommendations & Improvements

The computer's results of producing a sound wave image was a

little hard to read when it came down to calculating how many