Oscillations, Waves, and Sound Overview

These flashcards cover key concepts related to oscillations, waves, and sound, including definitions, phenomena, and notable laws.

Oscillation

A motion that repeats itself over and over again, moving back and forth around a middle point.

Hooke's Law

The law stating that the restoring force F is proportional to the displacement x, expressed as F=-kx.

Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM)

The ideal motion of a spring, characterized by sinusoidal displacement over time.

Damped Oscillation

An oscillation that reduces in amplitude over time due to energy loss from friction or resistance.

Underdamped

A condition of oscillation with small friction, where the system oscillates several times before stopping.

Critically Damped

A state of damping where the system returns to rest as quickly as possible without oscillating.

Overdamped

A condition where excessive friction slows the return to rest without oscillation.

Resonance

A phenomenon that occurs when an external force matches the system's natural frequency, increasing amplitude.

Wave

A disturbance that moves through a medium, transferring energy without transferring matter.

Mechanical Wave

A wave that requires a medium to travel through, such as sound or water waves.

Electromagnetic Wave

A wave that does not require a medium, such as light or radio waves.

Transverse Wave

A wave in which particles move up and down while the wave itself moves forward.

Longitudinal Wave

A wave in which particles move back and forth parallel to the direction of the wave.

Standing Wave

A wave formed by the combination of two waves moving in opposite directions, appearing to be 'stuck' in place.

Sound

A mechanical longitudinal wave produced by compressions and rarefactions of air.

Frequency Range of Human Hearing

The range of human hearing, from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.

Pitch

The perceived frequency of a sound; higher frequencies correspond to higher pitches.

Loudness

The amplitude of sound, with larger amplitudes producing louder sounds.

Decibel Scale

A logarithmic scale used to measure sound intensity; I₁ = 10⁻¹² W/m² is the threshold of hearing.

Doppler Effect

The change in frequency of sound perceived by a listener due to the motion of the sound source.

Outer Ear

The part of the ear that collects sound vibrations, including the pinna and auditory canal.

Middle Ear

Contains the ossicles (malleus, incus, and stapes) that amplify and transmit sound vibrations.

Inner Ear

The part of the ear that converts sound vibrations into electrical signals via the cochlea and organ of Corti.

Wavelength

The spatial period of a wave, representing the distance over which the wave's shape repeats.

Wave Speed (v)

The speed at which a wave propagates through a medium, calculated as v = \lambda f where \lambda is wavelength and f is frequency.

Constructive Interference

A phenomenon where two waves combine to form a resultant wave with a larger amplitude.

Destructive Interference

A phenomenon where two waves combine to form a resultant wave with a smaller or zero amplitude.

Oscillation

A motion that repeats itself over and over again, moving back and forth around a middle point.

Hooke's Law

The law stating that the restoring force F is proportional to the displacement x, expressed as F=-kx.

Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM)

The ideal motion of a spring, characterized by sinusoidal displacement over time.

Damped Oscillation

An oscillation that reduces in amplitude over time due to energy loss from friction or resistance.

Underdamped

A condition of oscillation with small friction, where the system oscillates several times before stopping.

Critically Damped

A state of damping where the system returns to rest as quickly as possible without oscillating.

Overdamped

A condition where excessive friction slows the return to rest without oscillation.

Resonance

A phenomenon that occurs when an external force matches the system's natural frequency, increasing amplitude.

Wave

A disturbance that moves through a medium, transferring energy without transferring matter.

Mechanical Wave

A wave that requires a medium to travel through, such as sound or water waves.

Electromagnetic Wave

A wave that does not require a medium, such as light or radio waves.

Transverse Wave

A wave in which particles move up and down while the wave itself moves forward.

Longitudinal Wave

A wave in which particles move back and forth parallel to the direction of the wave.

Standing Wave

A wave formed by the combination of two waves moving in opposite directions, appearing to be 'stuck' in place.

Sound

A mechanical longitudinal wave produced by compressions and rarefactions of air.

Frequency Range of Human Hearing

The range of human hearing, from 20 \text{ Hz} to 20,000 \text{ Hz} (or 20 \text{ kHz}).

Pitch

The perceived frequency of a sound; higher frequencies correspond to higher pitches.

Loudness

The amplitude of sound, with larger amplitudes producing louder sounds.

Decibel Scale

A logarithmic scale used to measure sound intensity. The sensitivity of human hearing, also known as the threshold of hearing, is typically defined as an intensity of I_0 = 10^{-12} \text{ W/m}^2, representing the softest sound a human ear can detect.

Doppler Effect

The change in frequency of sound perceived by a listener due to the motion of the sound source.

Outer Ear

The part of the ear that collects sound vibrations, including the pinna and auditory canal.

Middle Ear

Contains the ossicles (malleus, incus, and stapes) that amplify and transmit sound vibrations.

Inner Ear

The part of the ear that converts sound vibrations into electrical signals via the cochlea and organ of Corti.

Wavelength

The spatial period of a wave, representing the distance over which the wave's shape repeats.

Wave Speed (v)

The speed at which a wave propagates through a medium, calculated as v = \lambda f where \lambda is wavelength and f is frequency.

Constructive Interference

A phenomenon where two waves combine to form a resultant wave with a larger amplitude.

Destructive Interference

A phenomenon where two waves combine to form a resultant wave with a smaller or zero amplitude.

Oscillation

A motion that repeats itself over and over again, moving back and forth around a middle point.

Hooke's Law

The law stating that the restoring force F is proportional to the displacement x, expressed as F=-kx.

Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM)

The ideal motion of a spring, characterized by sinusoidal displacement over time.

Damped Oscillation

An oscillation that reduces in amplitude over time due to energy loss from friction or resistance.

Underdamped

A condition of oscillation with small friction, where the system oscillates several times before stopping.

Critically Damped

A state of damping where the system returns to rest as quickly as possible without oscillating.

Overdamped

A condition where excessive friction slows the return to rest without oscillation.

Resonance

A phenomenon that occurs when an external force matches the system's natural frequency, increasing amplitude.

Wave

A disturbance that moves through a medium, transferring energy without transferring matter.

Mechanical Wave

A wave that requires a medium to travel through, such as sound or water waves.

Electromagnetic Wave

A wave that does not require a medium, such as light or radio waves.

Transverse Wave

A wave in which particles move up and down while the wave itself moves forward.

Longitudinal Wave

A wave in which particles move back and forth parallel to the direction of the wave.

Standing Wave

A wave formed by the combination of two waves moving in opposite directions, appearing to be 'stuck' in place.

Sound

A mechanical longitudinal wave produced by compressions and rarefactions of air.

Frequency Range of Human Hearing

The range of human hearing, from 20 \text{ Hz} to 20,000 \text{ Hz} (or 20 \text{ kHz}).

Pitch

The perceived frequency of a sound; higher frequencies correspond to higher pitches.

Loudness

The amplitude of sound, with larger amplitudes producing louder sounds.

Decibel Scale

A logarithmic scale used to measure sound intensity. The sensitivity of human hearing, also known as the threshold of hearing, is typically defined as an intensity of I_0 = 10^{-12} \text{ W/m}^2, representing the softest sound a human ear can detect.

Doppler Effect

The change in frequency of sound perceived by a listener due to the motion of the sound source.

Outer Ear

The part of the ear that collects sound vibrations, including the pinna and auditory canal.

Middle Ear

Contains the ossicles (malleus, incus, and stapes) that amplify and transmit sound vibrations.

Inner Ear

The part of the ear that converts sound vibrations into electrical signals via the cochlea and organ of Corti.

Wavelength

The spatial period of a wave, representing the distance over which the wave's shape repeats.

Wave Speed (v)

The speed at which a wave propagates through a medium, calculated as v = \lambda f where \lambda is wavelength and f is frequency.

Constructive Interference

A phenomenon where two waves combine to form a resultant wave with a larger amplitude.

Destructive Interference

A phenomenon where two waves combine to form a resultant wave with a smaller or zero amplitude.