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Sound Waves

            
             It plays an important role in almost everything that we do in our lives and we take it for granted. Whether it's the sound that the wind makes when it rustles the tree branches or the music coming out of our speakers, all sound is composed of little sound waves that are made by slight vibrations. These slight vibrations in any object move the air particles around the object in an outward motion and cause a sound when these waves hit your eardrums. Sound waves come in many different types, shapes, and sizes but they all share the same principles and characteristics. Sound waves are a part of every noise and they are imperative to sound perception.
             A wave of sound can be considered as a disturbance that travels through some material called a medium, transporting energy from one location to another. (Henderson) Such waves that seem to be hooked onto one another in a straight line are characterized as mechanical waves. When the first particle is disturbed it then moves the second particle on the line because they are hooked together and touching. Once the second particle starts moving, the third will be disturbed by the second particle's movement and the fourth particle will be disturbed by the third particle's movement and so on. The vibration will be passed on consecutively and the energy that was first introduced in the first particle will move on and on from particle to particle in that medium.
             These mechanical waves can best be described as producing longitudinal waves. In a longitudinal wave, the medium would most commonly be the surrounding air particles that vibrate toward a certain direction. The individual particles of the medium will always move in a direction that is parallel to the direction that the energy is being applied. (Kriz) For instance, if someone is talking to another person, the sound waves produced by the vocal chords will move in a direction in which the person is faced.


Essays Related to Sound Waves

1. Sound

... point in a given amount of time. These are also, all characteristics of sound. Again these are factors that determine the sounds you hear. In conclusion, a sound is a very important thing that you need in life, as well as vibration. If you didn't have vibration then you wouldn't hear sound. Also, when sound waves combine in a way that the resulting disturbance is greater then either wave ... alone, constructive interference occurs. A pitch of a sound depends on the frequency of the waves. As you can see we need ... sound and it is something that we use in life that is very important to...

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2. Sound

... , it radiates outward in straight lines in the form of a pressure wave. The pressure wave is perceived by the ear as a sound. In physics, sound is considered to be waves of vibratory motion, whether or not the human ear hears them. Sound waves are generated by and vibrating body. When something is moved, like a violin sting, the sting moving pushes molecules of air into a clump ... , which also creates a space. The clump's energy of motion causes it to move into other air molecules. Then air molecule move back into the empty space. Sound waves cannot travel in a vacuum because there is no...

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3. The Sound of Waves

"The Sound Of Waves" A Review By ____(your name here)____ The wind raged and the water poured from the heavens above. Shinji rested by the now raging fire he had built when the storm had ... most of her clothing was drying by the fire and as the two eyes met, the world stopped. The Sound of Waves is a film by Mishima Yukio. Made in 1984, the movie is actually based off of a book published in 1954 called The Sound of Waves, by Mishima Yukio. The movie is about a young fisherman who falls in love with the daughter of the ... ...

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4. Elephants and Communication

... rain approaching from the north up to 2 weeks before other species of herd animals, which could be a reaction to low-frequency sound produced by the approaching thunderstorms (Garstang et al, 1995). 5.0 Seismic Communication 5.1 Propagation of Seismic Waves The use of seismic waves as a means of communication in elephants was first studied by O'Connell-Rodwell et al, (2000). From studies of seismic communication in ... sense of hearing is located in the basilar membrane of the cochlear duct (Randall et al, 2002). The organ of Corti is covered in hair cells. Sound reception takes place i...

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5. Theory Behind Acoustics and Loudspeaker Design

... over a broad range of frequencies that have the ability to pass through many different media, whether it is a solid, liquid, or a gas (Henderson par 42). par Humans principally detect the sound waves that travel through air, which are in turn collected by the ear quote s auricle. The auricle is the small ligament that connects the ear to the side of the head ... range of 20 to 20,000 hertz, they are capable of being detected by the human ear (ldblquote Music and Computers, 1.1 What is Sound? dblquote par 3). par All vibrations produce what is referred to as a sound wave. Sound waves are...

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6. Does a Tree Have Colour

... . The other theory that is presented is one of scientific adequacy where one has to think about the solution and have prior knowledge about sound waves and the theories behind them. When a tree falls, vibrations occur and cause waves in the air, which are detected by our ears and are then sent as messages to our brain and nerves. An equivalent reaction happens ... . Ockham is not disagreeing that sounds exist but that there are two types of sounds: subjective and dependent. Since only air waves play a role in the hearing of sound, there is no point in believing that objective sound exists...

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7. Ultrasound

... , but it is a lot less damaging than other penetrating waves - for example, X-rays. The ultrasonic waves can also be used for a variety of medical uses, such as to study and treat hard-to-reach body areas. Uses for ultra sound were first developed in World War II to locate submerged objects ... retinal problems. It is also used to heat joints, which relives some arthritic joint pain, and for such procedures as lithotripsy, in which shock waves break up kidney stones, eliminating the need for surgery. Ultrasound is noninvasive, involves no radiation, and avoids the possible hazards "such ...

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8. Ear

... The ear is looked upon as a miniature receiver, amplifier and signal-processing system. The structure of the outer ear catching sound waves as they move into the external auditory canal. The sound waves then hit the eardrum and the pressure of the air causes the drum to vibrate back and forth. When the eardrum ... Ear - comprises of the auricle or pinna which is the fleshy part of the outer ear. It is cup-shaped and collects and amplifies sound waves which then passes along the ear canal to the ear drum or tympanic membrane. The rim of the auricle is called the helix and the ... These ...

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9. Hearing Aids

... years depending on the local health authority. Hearing aids are machines that amplify and clarify sound waves so that individuals can hear and understand sounds. The microphone in the hearing aid receives the sound waves and translates them into electrical impulses which the amplify makes stronger. The earphone translates the ... much stronger electrical impulses back into sound waves, which, by this stage louder and clearer. These sound waves then travel to the brain in the usual way. (www.rnid.org.uk) There is a large variety ... however vibrations are sent through the arm of the glas...

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