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Ever thought how sound is produced? Sound is produced when an object vibrates. The vibration is sent to the particles, such as air or water. The particles then transfer the vibrations in a series of compressions and rarefactions. The wave of vibrations moves within the medium and finally reaches our ears—this is how we can hear any type of sound! Chapter 11, Sound, is an interesting topic of the Class 9 Science syllabus.
The NCERT Solutions for this chapter not only answer that but also help you solve all the exercise questions and extra questions given in the book.
Also read,
The NCERT solutions for Chapter 11, Sound, give you clear, step-by-step answers to every question in the textbook. These detailed answers will help you understand all the key ideas from the chapter.
One important thing you'll learn is that sound needs a medium to travel—it can't move through a vacuum (empty space). You'll also learn about how sound travels and how three things- speed, wavelength, and frequency—are connected by the formula
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The speed of sound in a medium is given by:
where
The time period of a sound wave is given by:
where
The loudness of a sound is measured in decibels (dB). The formula for calculating the loudness in decibels is given by:
The intensity of a sound wave is given by:
I = P/A
where I is the intensity of the sound wave, P is the power of the sound wave, and A is the area over which the sound wave is spread.
These are some of the important formulas from Class 9 Science Chapter 11 – Sound that you should know to understand the concepts better and easily solve the exercise questions.
If you want, you can also download the chapter-wise important formulas as a PDF by clicking the link below. It’ll help you quickly revise and practice all the NCERT questions from this chapter.
Download Ebook - NCERT Class 9 Science: Chapterwise Important Formulas, Diagrams, And Points
Here are some important topics from Class 9 Sound chapter given below. These key concepts will help you understand how sound is produced, travels, and is heard.
Production of Sound:
Sound Waves:
Reflection of sound waves
Range of Hearing:
Structure of the Human Ear:
Noise pollution and its effects
These are the important topics covered in NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Science Chapter 11 Sound.
Topic 11.1 Production of Sound
Q1. How does the sound produced by a vibrating object in a medium reach your ear?
Answer:
Objects when vibrating, produce vibration to the neighboring particles of the medium. These vibrating particle forces the adjacent particles to vibrate.
This way vibrations are produced by an object is transferred from one particle to the other till the vibration reaches our ear.
NCERT Free Solutions for Class 9 Science Chapter 11 Sound
Topic 11.2 Propagation of Sound
Q1. Explain how sound is produced by your school bell.
Answer:
When the school bell vibrates, it pushes the adjacent particles of air to vibrate. This causes the disturbance in the wave when the bell moves forward it pushes the air particles in front of it and creates a region of high pressure known as compression and when the bell moves backward, it creates a region of low pressure known as rarefaction.
The continuous forward and backward movement of the bell produces a series of compression and rarefaction. This makes the sound of a bell to propagate through the air.
Q2. Why are sound waves called mechanical waves?
Answer:
The sound waves are mechanical waves because they need a material medium to propagate.
Answer:
No, we cannot hear any sound on the Moon because Moon does not have an atmosphere and sound needs a medium for propagation.
NCERT Textbook Solutions for Class 9 Science Chapter 11 Sound
Topic 11.2.2 Sound waves are Longitudinal Waves
Q1. Which wave property determines (a) loudness, (b) pitch?
Answer:
(a) The loudness of a sound depends on its amplitude. Higher the amplitude, the sound produced will also be loud.
(b) The pitch of a sound is determined by its frequency. If the frequency of sound is high then, the sound produced will be high pitched.
Q2. Guess which sound has a higher pitch: guitar or car horn?
Answer:
The guitar has higher pitch since, the frequency of the wave determines pitch, i.e., higher the frequency of a wave, more, is its pitch.
The frequency of vibration of the particle is more in case of the guitar than the car horn.
Hence, the guitar will produce a higher pitch than the car horn.
NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Science Chapter 11 Sound
Topic 11.2.3 Characteristics of a sound
Q1. What are wavelength, frequency, period and amplitude of a sound wave?
Answer:
The wavelength of the sound wave is the distance between the two consecutive compressions or rarefactions. The SI unit is a meter (m).
Frequency is the number of complete oscillations per second and it is measured in Hertz (Hz).
Time period: is the time taken to complete one complete oscillation. It is measured in seconds.
Amplitude: is the maximum height reached by the crest or trough of a sound wave.
Q2. How are the wavelength and frequency of a sound wave related to its speed?
Answer:
Velocity, frequency, and wavelength are related to each other as follows:
Above equation is known as the wave equation and applicable to all types of wave.
Q3. Calculate the wavelength of a sound wave whose frequency is 220 Hz and speed is 440 m/s in a given medium.
Answer:
Given a sound wave whose frequency is
As velocity is given by,
Then
Or,
Thus, the wavelength of the given sound wave is 2m.
Answer:
Given,
The frequency of the sound wave,
Hence, the time period,
Therefore, the time interval between successive compressions from the source of sound is equal to the time period of sound waves.
CBSE NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Science Chapter 11 Sound
Topic 11.2.3 Characteristics of a sound
Q1. Distinguish between loudness and intensity of sound.
Answer:
The Intensity of sound is defined as the sound power per unit area in a direction perpendicular to that area. The SI unit of intensity is the watt per square meter
The loudness of sound refers to how loud or soft a sound seems to a listener and is determined by the intensity or the amount of energy. The unit of intensity is the decibel (dB).
Higher the decibel level sound waves have greater intensity and sounds are louder.
Free NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Science Chapter 11 Sound
Topic 11.2.4 Speed of sound in different media
Answer:
The speed of the sound depends on the nature of the medium. The speed of sound is fastest in the case of solids and decreases further in liquids followed by gases.
Therefore, in iron, the speed of sound is the fastest at a given temperature.
Sound Class 9 Science Chapter 11 Topic 11.3 Reflection of Sound
Answer:
Given the speed of sound is
The time taken by the sound to travel from the source to the reflecting surface will be half of this time:
Hence,
Substituting the values in the equation, we get the distance,
NCERT Class 9 Science Chapter 11 Sound
Topic 11.3.3 Uses of multiple reflections of sound
Q1. Why are the ceilings of concert halls curved?
Answer:
The sound after reflection reaches every corner of the concert hall and the audience can hear properly and clearly.
NCERT Textbook Solutions for Class 9 Science Chapter 11 Sound
Topic 11.4 Range of Hearing
Q1. What is the audible range of the average human ear?
Answer:
The audible range of an average human ear lies between frequency 20Hz to 20,000Hz.
Humans cannot hear sounds of frequency having above or below this range.
Q2. (a) What is the range of frequencies associated with
Answer:
The infrasonic sounds lie below 20 Hertz frequency which is inaudible for human ears.
Q2.(b) What is the range of frequencies associated with
Answer:
The ultrasonic sounds have frequencies higher than 20,000 Hertz, which is also not audible for humans.
CBSE NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Science Chapter 11 Sound
Topic 11.5.1 Sonar
Answer:
Given,
The time taken by the SONAR pulse to go from the submarine to cliff will be half of this time:
And we know that,
Substituting the values in the above equation, we obtain
Q.1. What is sound and how is it produced?
Answer:
A sound is a form of energy that is produced by the vibrations of objects.
It is produced by the to and fro motion of the object. The vibrations are created which causes a disturbance in the adjacent particles of the medium. The disturbance travels in the waveform and creates sound.
Answer:
The compression and rarefactions produced in air near the source of sound (Here the prong) are shown in the diagram below:
Here C is for Compression and R is for Rarefaction.
Q3. Cite an experiment to show that sound needs a material medium for its propagation.
Answer:
Bell jar experiment showing sound cannot travel in a vacuum :
Take an electric bell and an airtight glass bell jar. The electric bell is suspended inside the airtight bell jar. The bell jar is connected to a vacuum pump. If you press the switch you will be able to hear the bell. Now start the vacuum pump. When the air in the jar is pumped out gradually, the sound becomes fainter, although the same current is passing through the bell. After some time when less air is left inside the bell jar, you will hear a very feeble sound. And finally, when there is no air present inside the jar, there is no sound detectable.
This proves sound needs a material medium to propagate and cannot propagate through the vacuum.
Q4. Why is a sound wave called a longitudinal wave?
Answer:
longitudinal waves are formed When oscillation is created parallel to the disturbance of the particles of the medium in the direction of propagation and since the sound waves also create oscillations in the particles of the medium parallel to the disturbance in the direction of propagation.
Therefore, sound waves are called a longitudinal wave .
Answer:
The quality of timber of the sound is that characteristic which enables us to distinguish one sound from another having the same pitch and loudness.
Thus, because of the difference in timbre and pitch of the sound wave, we can identify the voices of friends.
Answer:
This happens because of the difference in the velocities of light and sound waves. Light travels much faster than the sound. That is the reason why we hear the thunder a few seconds after the flash of thunder is seen instead of both are produced simultaneously.
Answer:
Taking the speed of the sound in air as
Then,
we know:
Or,
Hence,
For
and for
Hence, the hearing wavelength range for humans is
(Given: Speed of sound in air is
Answer:
Here, let us assume the length of the rod be
Then,
Time taken by the sound wave in air:
Time taken by the sound wave in Aluminium to reach from one end to the other end,
Therefore, the ratio of the time taken by the sound wave in air and in aluminium will be:
Hence, the ratio is
Q9. The frequency of a source of sound is 100 Hz. How many times does it vibrate in a minute?
Answer:
Given the frequency of the sound wave is 100Hz.
Frequency is the number of oscillations per second.
So, 100Hz means that 100 oscillations are done in 1 second.
Thus, in a minute, the number of oscillations would be,
Q10. Does sound follow the same laws of reflection as light does? Explain.
Answer:
Yes, the sound wave also follows the same laws of reflection as light does. Which are as follows:
(i) The angle of incidence of the sound wave and the angle of reflection of the sound wave to the normal is equal.
(ii) The incident sound wave, the reflected sound wave and the normal at the point of incidence, all lie in the same plane.
Q11. When a sound is reflected from a distant object, an echo is produced. Let the distance between the reflecting surface and the source of sound production remains the same. Do you hear echo sound on a hotter day?
Answer:
Listening to the sound of echo depends upon the time interval between the source of a sound and the reflecting sound which should be at least 0.1 seconds.
The speed of the sound increases with an increase in the temperature of the medium. Hence, on a hotter day, the time interval between the source sound and the reflected sound will decrease.
Therefore, we cannot listen to the echo unless the interval is greater than 0.1 seconds.
Q12. Give two practical applications of reflection of sound waves.
Answer:
Two practical applications of sound waves are :
(i) In the stethoscope, the sound of the patient's heartbeat reaches the doctor's ears by multiple reflections throughout the pipe of the stethoscope of sound.
(ii) Horns, megaphones or loudhailers are designed to send sound in a particular direction without spreading it in all directions. There is a conical opening which reflects the sound waves and guides most of the sound waves from the source.
Q13. A stone is dropped from the top of a tower 500 m high into a pond of water at the base of the tower. When is the splash heard at the top? Given,
Answer:
Given the height of the tower,
and the velocity of the sound,
Acceleration due to gravity,
Let the initial velocity of the stone,
Let the time taken by the stone to fall to the base of the tower be
Now, according to the IInd Equation of Motion:
Now, the time taken by the sound to reach the top from the base of the tower,
Therefore, the splash is heard at the top after time,
Calculating
Answer:
Given,
The speed with which sound travels is
and the wavelength is 1.5 cm.
Then we know the relation,
Where,
Hence,
Calculated frequency is out of audible range of human ears which is
Therefore, it is inaudible.
Q.15. What is reverberation? How can it be reduced?
Answer:
Reverberation is the repeated reflection after the source stops producing a sound which is also known as persistence of sound. When the wave reaches the wall of a room, it is partly reflected back from the wall. This reflected sound then reaches the other wall and again gets reflected partly. Due to this, sound can be heard even after the source has ceased to produce sound.
To reduce the reverberation, sound must have to be absorbed as it reaches the walls and the ceilings of a room. Materials like wood, fibreboard, rough plastic, heavy curtains, and some seats can be used to reduce the reverberations.
Q16. What is the loudness of sound? What factors does it depend on?
Answer:
Loudness is a physiological response of the ear to the intensity of sound which enables us to distinguish between a soft sound and a loud sound.
The loudness or softness of a sound is determined basically by its amplitude and loudness is proportional to the square of the amplitude of the vibrations.
Where greater the amplitude of vibrations, the louder the sound is produced.
Q17. Explain how bats use ultrasound to catch prey.
Answer:
Bats emits very high frequencies sounds from their mouth which when touches the prey, and gets reflected back to the bat. Then the bat detects these waves and estimates the distance and the direction of the prey.
Q18. How is ultrasound used for cleaning?
Answer:
The object to be cleaned is first put in the cleaning solution and then the ultrasonic waves are passed through that solution. The high-frequency ultrasonic waves are capable to remove the dirt from the objects very easily.
Q19. Explain the working and application of a sonar.
Answer:
Working of SONOR:
Sonar consists of a transmitter and a detector and is installed in a boat or a ship, as shown in Figure below:
The transmitter produces and transmits ultrasonic waves. These waves travel through water and, after striking the object on the seabed, get reflected back and are sensed by the detector. The detector converts the ultrasonic waves into electrical signals, which are appropriately interpreted. The distance of the object that reflected the sound wave can be calculated by knowing the speed of sound in water and the time interval between the transmission and reception of the ultrasound.
Applications of SONOR:
The sonar technique is used to determine the depth of the sea and to locate underwater hills, valleys, submarine, icebergs, sunken ship etc.
Q20. A sonar device on a submarine sends out a signal and receives an echo 5 s later. Calculate the speed of sound in water if the distance of the object from the submarine is 3625 m.
Answer:
Given the distance of the object is 3625 m from the submarine and the time taken is 5 seconds.
But the time gave includes of both journey downward and upward,
hence the time taken will be half of this time.
And as
Putting the values in the equation, we get
Therefore, the speed of sound is 1450 m/s.
Q21. Explain how defects in a metal block can be detected using ultrasound.
Answer:
Ultrasounds can be used to detect cracks and flaws in metal blocks. Metallic components are generally used in the construction of big structures like buildings, bridges, machines and also scientific equipment. The cracks or holes inside the metal blocks, which are invisible from outside reduces the strength of the structure. Ultrasonic waves are allowed to pass through the metal block and detectors are used to detect the transmitted waves. If there is even a small defect, the ultrasound gets reflected back, indicating the presence of the flaw or defect, as shown
Q22. Explain how the human ear works.
Answer:
The outer ear is called the ‘pinna’. It collects the sound from the surroundings. The collected sound passes through the auditory canal. At the end of the auditory canal, there is a thin membrane called the eardrum or tympanic membrane. When compression of the medium reaches the eardrum the pressure on the outside of the membrane increases and forces the eardrum inward. Similarly, the eardrum moves outward when a rarefaction reaches it. In this way, the eardrum vibrates. The vibrations are amplified several times by three bones (the hammer, anvil, and stirrup) in the middle ear. The middle ear transmits the amplified pressure variations received from the sound wave to the inner ear. In the inner ear, the pressure variations are turned into electrical signals by the cochlea. These electrical signals are sent to the brain via the auditory nerve, and the brain interprets them as sound.
The Class 9 Science Chapter 11 – Sound solutions have been carefully prepared by expert teachers at Careers360 in a clear and organised way. These solutions are arranged topic-wise, covering key concepts like the Production of Sound, Propagation of Sound, and how Sound Waves are Longitudinal in nature, among others.
Along with detailed explanations of each topic, the solutions also include all the solved exercise questions from the NCERT textbook. Students can easily download the solutions as a PDF and study them anytime for better understanding and revision.
This chapter carries a weightage of 27 marks in the exam, so it’s important to be well-prepared. Questions can be asked from various areas, especially detailed ones about the structure of the human ear and the reflection of sound. Also, make sure to practice the numerical problems regularly to score well in Chapter 11 of Class 9 Science.
Subtopics for chapter 11, science class 9th are given below:
11.1 Production of Sound
11.2 Propagation of Sound
11.2.1 Sound Needs a Medium to Travel
11.2.2 Sound Waves are Longitudinal Waves
11.2.3 Characteristics of a Sound Wave
11.3 Reflection of Sound
11.3.1 Echo
11.3.2 Reverberation
11.3.3 Uses of Multiple Reflections of Sound
11.4 Range of Hearing
11.5 Applications of Ultrasound
11.5.1 Sonar
11.6 Structure of the Human Ear
Complete Preparation:
The Sound chapter questions and answers cover all the important topics in detail, helping you understand the chapter fully and get ready for exams with confidence.
Clear Your Doubts:
If you get stuck or have any doubts while solving questions, expert teachers are available through chat support to explain the concepts clearly and help you out.
Score Better in Exams:
Using the NCERT solutions for Class 9 Science Chapter 11 can really boost your exam performance. The step-by-step answers make learning easier and more effective.
Accurate and Easy to Understand:
All the answers are 100% accurate and based on the NCERT textbook. They're written in a simple and clear way so you can easily understand and remember the concepts for your exams.
NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Science Chapter 11 – Sound help students understand key concepts clearly, practice accurately, and prepare effectively for exams.
Concept Clarity:
The solutions help you understand complex concepts like sound waves, pitch, frequency, and echo in a simple and structured way.
Accurate Answers:
All solutions are based strictly on the NCERT textbook, ensuring correctness and reliability for exam preparation.
Step-by-Step Solutions:
Each question is solved in a clear, step-by-step manner to help students learn the right approach to solving numerical and theory questions.
Exam-Focused Preparation:
The solutions are designed to cover frequently asked questions and important topics, helping you prepare effectively for school exams.
Doubt-Clearing Resource:
Acts as a helpful guide when you're stuck with a question or concept during self-study.
Boosts Confidence:
Regular practice with these solutions builds confidence and improves your ability to answer a variety of questions during the exam.
Time-Saving:
Saves time during revision by providing direct and concise answers to textbook questions.
Supports Homework & Assignments:
Helps students complete their homework and school assignments quickly and accurately.
Also, check NCERT Books and NCERT Syllabus here:
NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Science- Chapter Wise
Chapter No. | Chapter Name |
Chapter 1 | Matter in Our Surroundings |
Chapter 2 | Is Matter Around Us Pure |
Chapter 3 | Atoms and Molecules |
Chapter 4 | Structure of The Atom |
Chapter 5 | The Fundamental Unit of Life |
Chapter 6 | Tissues |
Chapter 7 | Diversity in Living Organisms |
Chapter 8 | Motion |
Chapter 9 | Force and Laws of Motion |
Chapter 10 | Gravitation |
Chapter 11 | Work and Energy |
Chapter 12 | Sound |
Chapter 13 | Why Do We Fall ill? |
Chapter 14 | Natural Resources |
Chapter 15 | Improvement in Food Resources |
Chapter No. | Chapter Name |
Chapter 1 | Chapter 1 Matter in our Surroundings |
Chapter 2 | Chapter 2 Is Matter Around Us Pure? |
Chapter 3 | Chapter 3 Atoms and Molecules |
Chapter 4 | Chapter 4 Structure of the Atom |
Chapter 5 | Chapter 5 The Fundamental Unit of Life |
Chapter 6 | Chapter 6 Tissues |
Chapter 7 | Chapter 7 Diversity in Living Organisms |
Chapter 8 | Chapter 8 Motion |
Chapter 9 | Chapter 9 Forces and Laws of Motion |
Chapter 10 | Chapter 10 Gravitation |
Chapter 11 | Chapter 11 Work and Energy |
Chapter 12 | Chapter 12 Sound |
Chapter 13 | Chapter 13 Why do We Fall ill? |
Chapter 14 | Chapter 14 Natural Resources |
Chapter 15 | Chapter 15 Improvement in Food Resources |
Class 9 NCERT science chapter has 22 exercise questions, solutions of these questions are explained in the NCERT solutions of Sound Class 9 chapter. All the questions are according to the CBSE NCERT syllabus of Class 9.
More questions on NCERT Class 9 chapter Sound can be solved from NCERT Exemplar questions for Class 9
The speed of sound in air is approximately 343 m/s at a temperature of 20°C. The speed of sound in water is much higher, around 1,500 m/s. The speed of sound in a medium depends on the density and elasticity of the medium.
Noise is a random sound that has no specific pitch or rhythm, while music is a structured arrangement of sounds that have a specific pitch, rhythm, and melody.
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