SYNOPSIS

1.
i)
ii)

EQUATION OF PLANE PROGRESSIVE

WAVE :
y = f(vt x) represents a progressive wave
moving along positive - x direction.
y = f(vt + x) represents a progressive wave
moving along negative - x direction.

iii) If a travelling wave is a sine or cosine function

of (at bx) or (at + bx) then the wave is called
harmonic (or) plane progressive wave.
iv) The equation for a simple harmonic plane
progressive wave propagating along the
positive direction of x - axis is
Y
O

y
X
(x,0)

3.
i)

WAVE VELOCITY (V) :

The distance travelled by the wave in one
second is called wave velocity .

ii) Wave velocity V f

T
k
iii) The wave velocity depends on the nature of the
medium, it does not depend on the nature of
the source.
iv) When a given wave passes from one medium
to another, its frequency does not change,
velocity and wavelength changes.
V1 1
In this case V
2
2
Note : During one complete time period (T),
the displacement of the particle is zero while
the wave travells a distance .
4.

dy
kA cos t kx
dx
v particle


k
slope of the wave

y A sin t kx , y A sink vt x

t x
y A sin2
T
y displacement of the particle located at
position 'x' at time 't'.
x Particle position at time 't'

k Propogation constant k

v)

vparticle = wave velocity x slope of the wave

5.
i)
ii)

The equation for a plane progressive wave

propagating along the negative direction of xaxis is y A sin t kx
Note: Analytically any function of space and

2 y
1 2y

time which satisfies the equation

x 2 v 2 t 2
PARTICLE VELOCITY :

i)

v particle

ii)

v particle A 2 y 2

dy
A cos t kx
dt

iii) It will be maximum when y = 0 , v max A

It will be minimum when y = A, vmin = 0

PHASE :
In the plane progressive wave equation
t kx denotes phase.
Phase change with time:
The phase change at a given point in time
interval t is

2
t
T

iii) Phase change with position:

The phase change at a given time for a change
in position x is

must represent a wave.

2.

SLOPE OF THE WAVE :

Slope of the wave will be

2
x

iv) A path difference of ' ' corresponds to a phase

difference of 2 radian and a time difference of T..
6.
i)
ii)

MECHANICAL WAVES IN DIFFERENT

MEDIA :
In strings mechanical waves are always
transverse.
In gases and liquids mechanical waves are
always longitudinal. This is because fluids
cannot sustain shear.

iii) In solids mechanical waves can be either

transverse or longitudinal depending on the
mode of excitation.
iv) The speeds of the two waves in the same solid
are different(longitudinal waves travels faster
than transverse waves).
v) In the case of vibrating tuning fork the waves
in the prongs are transverse.
7.
i)

INTENSITY OF A WAVE :
The wave intensity is defined as the average
amount of energy flowing in a medium per unit
time normal to unit area of cross section.

1
2a2v , 22 f2a2v
2
a amplitude, f frequency
v wave velocity ,
density of the medium
ii)

In case of a point source of power 'p', at a

distance 'r' from the source, the intensity is given
by

p
1
2
2
4r
r

iii) The energy associated with unit volume of the

medium is defined as energy density.
Energy density =
8.
i)

energy Intensity

2 2f2a2
volume velocity

REFLECTION AND REFRACTION OF

WAVES :
Reflection from rigid end : When a wave is
reflected from a rigid end there is a phase
change of radians

In this case if the incident wave is represented

by y i A i sin t kx then reflected wave
is yr Ar sin t kx
Note : In case of reflection of longitudinal
pressure wave there occurs no phase change
on reflection from a rigid boundaries and there
occurs phase change of radians on reflection
from free or open end.
9. STATIONARY WAVES :
i) When two coherent waves of equal amplitude
travelling through a medium in opposite
directions superpose, the resultant effect is a
wave, which does not travel either way with
time, these waves are called stationary waves
or standing waves.
10. STATIONARY WAVES PRODUCED ON
REFLECTION FROM THE FREE END :
yi = A sin (wt kx) yr = A sin (wt + kx)
y = yi + yr

y 2 A Cos kx Sinwt

Amplitude of stationary wave is 2A Cos kx

For amplitude to be maximum

Cos kx 1 , kx n (or) x
(where n = 0,1,2, ...........)

n
2

So Antinodes are obtained at

x = 0,

2 3 4
, , ,
..........
2 2 2 2

For the amplitude to be zero

In this case if the incident wave is represented

Cos (kx) = 0, kx 2n 1 /2 (or)

by y i A i sin t kx then the reflected

x=(2n + 1)

wave is represented by

So nodes are obtained at

yr Ar sin t kx (or)
yr A r sin t kx
2) Reflection from free end : When a wave is
reflected from a free end, then there is no change
of phase

(Where n = 0, 1, 2, 3 .........)
4

3 5 7
, , ..............
4 4 4 4

x= ,

11. STATIONARY WAVE PRODUCED ON

REFLECTION FROM FIXED END :
yi = A sin (wt kx) yr = A sin (wt + kx)
y = yi + yr
y = 2A sin kx cos wt

 d
Mg 1
db
V

Amplitude of stationary wave is 2A sin (kx)

For the amplitude to be maximum (Antinodes)
Sin (kx) = 1, kx=

2n 1

x = (2n + 1) (where n = 0, 1, 2, 3 ........)

4
Antinodes are obtained at

3 5 7
, , ...............
4 4 4 4

Where d is the density of liquid

db is the density of material of the load.
iv) When tension in the string arises due to elastic
strain

x= ,

kx = n, x =

n
2

Where m is mass of the string.

(Where n = 0, 1, 2, 3 ...........)
Nodes are formed at

2 3 4
, , ...........
2 2 2 2

vii) When tension in the string arises due to thermal

stress. ( by contraction)

x=0, ,

Note : At free end always antinode is formed.

At fixed end always node is formed.

F = YA V =

is linear density or mass per unit length)

VT

VB
ix)

M m

T
M
B

M m
M

A uniform rope of mass 'm' and length ' '

hangs from a ceiling then

m as s
A d

A d r 2d
le ng th

a) The speed of transverse wave in the rope at

a point which is at a distance x from the lower
end is gx

Where r is radius of the string, d is the density

of the material of the wire.

b) The time taken by a transverse wave to travel

V=

Ad

iv) When the tension in the string arise due to a

load of mass M

Mg

g
13. FORMATION OF A STATIONARY WAVE
ON A STRETCHED STRING :
When a stretched string is plucked, a transverse
wave travels along its length, it gets reflected at
other end, the superposition of incident and
reflected waves form stationary wave.
i) Fundamental mode or first harmonic:
The string vibrates in fundamental mode when
the string is plucked at mid point

the full length of the rope is t 2

T
r 2d

iii) V depends upon tension and linear density, it

does not depend upon frequency of wave

v)

Y
d

A transverse pulse of wavelength B is

produced at the lower end of the rope, the
wavelength of the pulse when it reaches the top
of the rope T then

Velocity of transverse wave along stretched

YA

Ad

'M' is attached to the free end of rope.

12. TRANSVERSE WAVE ALONG

STRETCHED STRING:
i) When a string stretched between two ends is
plucked at right angles to it and released,a
transverse wave travels along the length of
string.
string: V T (T is tension in the string and

YA

viii) A uniform rope of length 'L' and mass 'm' hangs

vertically from a rigid support. A block of mass

STRINGS

ii)

YAe
YAe
T

YAe
Ye

m
d

For the amplitude to be zero

Sin (kx) = 0,

d
T Mg 1
db

[ T = Mg]

If the load in the above case is completely

immersed in liquid then

The string vibrates in one loop

one

AN
N

1
n
2

and 2 , n = ,

ii)

iii)
iv)
v)
vi)

ix) When string is touched at midpoint, even

harmonics are present and odd harmonics are
absent

one

where n is fundamental frequency

Harmonics : The frequencies which are integral
multiples of the fundamental frequency are
called Harmonics
Ex. n, 2n, 3n, 4n
Overtones : All possible higher frequencies
other than fundamental are called overtones
All harmonics are overtones except first But, all
overtones need not be harmonics
All overtones may not be integral multiples of
fundamental frequency
Second harmonic or first overtone:
a) The string vibrates in 2nd harmonic when it
is plucked at l/4.
b) The string vibrates in 2 loops
AN two

N three

Note :When the string is subjected to a stretching

force producing an elongation then

1 l , n

vii) If the string is plucked at length

x)

No.of
nodes

Ad

mass of the string x

Laws of vibrating strings:

1

n ,

n1 1 n 2 2

(T,, are constants)

b) Second Law (Law of tension)

n1
n T , n
2

T1
, are constants)
T2 (

c) Third Law (Law of linear density)

n

l
then the
2P

b)
c)
d)

harmonic (or) (P-1)th overtone.

No.of
antinodes

a) First Law (Law of length)

, n1 = 2n

String vibrates in 'P' loops and we have P th

No.of
Loops

( , T are constants)

14) Sonometer experiment :

Where n1 is the frequency of second harmonic

or first over tone.

nPth harmonic n(P1)th overtone

Ad

In this case n

a)
2
2

P T
P
2
2

Harmonics

(n+1)

(n-1)

viii) When string is plucked at midpoint, odd

harmonics are present and even harmonics are
absent

1
(law of length)

e)

First law is verified directly, n

f)

Second law is verified by showing

T
= constant.
l
(same tuning fork, same wire) (n, constant).

Overtone

Verification of laws of transverse vibrations of

string.
Sonometer Box has holes. The purpose of holes
is to dissipate the energy of air inside box into
the surroundings so that resonance does not
occur inside the box.
Tuning fork is not brought in contact with string.
Vibrations of tuning fork are communicated to
string through platform and bridges.
Resonating length of string can be determined
by paper rider method.

g)

Third law is verified by showing

l = constant, (n, T are kept const).

15) Uses of sonometer:

a) To determine velocity of transverse wave along
a stretched string.

b)

To determine unknown frequency of tuning

fork.

c)

To determine frequency in A.C. circuits.

d)

To verify laws of transverse vibrations in

stretched strings.

Note : In any given medium at a given

temperature velocity of audible sound,
infrasonics and ultrasonics is the same
20. VELOCITY OF SOUND :
i) Velocityof sound is the characteristic of the
medium in which waves propagate.

16. SOUND (INTRODUCTION) :

i)
ii)

The mechanical wave energy which can be

heard by human ear is known as sound
Sound is propagated in the form of longitudinal
mechanical waves

iii) A material medium is necessary for the

propagation of sound
iv) Medium must possess elasticity and inertia
Velocity of sound in air at S.T.P is 330 ms
(approximately)
v)

17. AUDIBLE SOUND :

i)

The limit of audiable frequencies are

20 Hz -- 20,000Hz

ii)

Audible wave length range is 16.5 x 10 m 16.5

m.(at STP, in air velocity of sound is
-1
330 ms )

-3

iii) Audible wave length range varies with

temperature of the medium (nature of the
medium ).
18. INFRASONICS : sound waves of frequencies
less than 20 Hz are known as infrasonics
Ex. The waves produced during earth quake and
thunders are infrasonics.
Infrasonics can be perceived by elephants and
snakes etc.
19. ULTRASONICS :
The sound waves of frquency greater than
20,000Hz are known as ultrasonics
ii) ultrasonics are produced and perceived by bats.
iii) ultrasonics have applications in industrial and
medical fields.

iii) As solids are most elastic while gases least

elastic, velocity of sound is maximum in solids
and minimum in gases.
Vsolid Vliquid Vgas
iv) In case of propagation of sound in solids (rods)
E = Y and Vsolid

While for liquids and gases E = B V fluid

(B is the bulk modulus)

velocity of sound depends on nature of the

medium and temperature of the medium.

vii) If a sound wave travelling from one medium to

another medium, its velocity & wave length
change, but its frequency remains constant.

Velocity of sound in a medium of elasticity E

and density ' ' is given by V

-1

vi) Velocity of sound is maximum in solids,

intermediate in liquids and minimum in gases.

i)

ii)

21. NEWTON'S FORMULA :

i) He assumed that when sound propagates
through air, temperature remains constant (i.e.,
the process is isothermal)
ii)

B = isothermal elasticity = Pressure (P) then

iii) at NTP for air by this formula v = 279m/s. But

the experimental value of velocity of sound in
air is 332 m/s.
22. LAPLACE CORRECTION :
i) Laplace modified Newton's formula. He
assumed that propagation of sound in air is an
adiabatic process.
ii) In this case B = Adiabatic elasticity P
iii)

iv) For air at NTP by this formula v = 331.3 m/s

which is in agreement with the experimental
value. (332 m/s).
23. IN CASE OF GASES :

P
PV
nRT
RT

mass
mass
M

V

RT
3 RT

; Vrms
;
Vrms 3
M
M

1/ 2

24. FACTORS AFFECTING VELOCITY OF

SOUND IN GASES :
i)

Effect of temperature :
With rise in temperature velocity of sound in a
gas increases.

273 t C
273 t C
0

V
T
V
V T 1 1 1
V2
T2
V2

t 0C
Vt
273 t 0C

Vt V0 1

V0
273
546

as v0 = 332 m/s hence

Vt V0 0.61 t 0C
For 10C rise, speed of sound in air increases by
0.61 m/s.
ii)

iii) The diaphragms of loud speakers when we

speak in front of it execute forced vibrations.
iv) Sympathetic vibrations : When a body vibrates
under the influence of external periodic
impulses whose frequency is equal to its natural
frequency, those vibrations are called
sympathetic vibration.
27. RESONANCE :
i) It is the phenomenon in which system makes
sympathetic vibrations with max amplitude
(theoritically infinite amplitude)
ii) This does not violate the law of conservation
of energy
iii) Ex: Soldiers are advised to go out of steps while
crossing a bridge to avoid breakage of bridge
due to resonance

Effect of pressure (at constant temperature) :

iv) Ex: A great singer can shatter a glass object by

his singing.

Pressure has no effect on velocity of sound in a

gas as long as temperature remains constant.

28. STANDING WAVE IN A ORGAN PIPE

(VIBRATIONS OF AIR COLUMNS) :
i)

With increase in humidity, density of air

decreases. So, with increase of humidity
velocity of sound increases.

The mechanical waves in an organ pipe are

longitudinal stationary.

ii)

Sound travels faster in humid air (rainy

season) then in dry air (summer) at the
same temperature because

In organ pipe, harmonics are formed with a

displacement node at closed end and with
displacement antinode at free end.

29. CLOSED ORGAN PIPE :

iii) Effect of humidity :

a)

b)

AN

moist air dry air Vmoist air Vdry air

Note:Amplitude, frequency, phase, loudness,
pitch. Quality etc., have practically no effect
on velocity of sound.

Fundamental

l=

1
4

,n1 =

v
4l

First overtone

l =

3 2
4

, n2 =

3v

i)
ii)

Second overtone

l=

Fundamental frequency is fC

5 3
4

4l

ii)

26. FORCED VIBRATIONS :

i) Vibrations in a body under the influence of
external periodic impulses
ii) Vibrations of factory floor when heavy
machines are working

AN
N
AN
N

l
AN

When a body is excited and left free to itself , it

begins to vibrate and the vibration of the body
are called free or natural vibration.

The frequency of vibrations depends upon the

dimensions of the body and the elastic constant
of the material of the body
iii) Ex: Oscillations of simple pendulum in vacuum,
vibrations of prongs of a tuning fork in vacuum

AN

25. FREE VIBRATIONS :

i)

AN

, n3 =

5v
4l

V
4

In closed organ pipe, only odd harmonics are

present.
iii) Ratio of harmonics is 1 : 3 : 5 : .........
iv) First harmonic is fundamental, third harmonic
will be first overtone.
(pth overtone = ((2P+1)th harmonic)
v) The maximum possible wavelength is ' 4 '

vi) In general 2 N 1 where N = 1,2,3 ....

31. END CORRECTION :

i)

Due to finite momentum of air molecules in

organ pipes reflection takes place not exactly
at free end but slightly above it.

ii)

The distance of antinode from open end is called

end correction and e = 0.6r where 'r' is radius of
pipe.

corresponding to order of mode of vibration.

2N 1 V

vii) Frequency n =
where N = 1, 2, 3
4
...... corresponding to order of mode of
vibration.
viii) Position of node from closed end,

iii) For closed organ pipe effective length

L| = (L+e)

3
x = 0, , ,
.........
2
2

iv) For open organ pipe effective length

ix) Position of antinodes from closed end

L| = (L+2e)

3 5
,
x= ,
.........
4 4 4

v)

30. OPEN ORGAN PIPE :

AN

AN

frequency of closed pipe fC = 4 L 0.6 r

AN

Fundamental frequency of open pipe

N
N
N

AN
AN

N
Fundamental
l

i)

1
v
,n1
2
2

v
l

i)

AN

First overtone

Second over tone

3 3
3v
,n3
2
2l

Fundamental frequency is f0 =

V
2

iv) The maximum possible wavelength is ' 2 '

Wavelength

1,2,3

......

corresponding to order of mode of vibration)

Frequency n =

NV
2

vi) Position of nodes from one end

3 5
, ,
........
4 4 4

vii) Position of antinode from one end

x = 0,

3
, ,
..........
2
2

2 1
, 2 e
4
4
2

2 2 1

In open pipe, all (even and odd) harmonic are

present, the ratio of harmonics is 1:2:3:4:.....
iii) First harmonic is fundamental, second harmonic
will be first overtone and so on (pth overtone =
(p +1)th harmonic).

v)

In a resonating air column experiment, if 1 , 2

are the first and second resonating lengths then

1 e

ii)

(N
N

V
2 L 1.2 r

32. RESONANCE TUBE :

AN
l 2 ,n2

f0

AN

AN

Hence with end correction fundamental

ii)

Speed of sound in air at room temperature is

V 2 n 2 1 Where n be the frequency of

the tuning fork.
iii)

2 31
2

33. TUNING FORK :

i)

Tuning fork is a device which produces pure

tone
ii) Transverse vibrations are present in the prongs
iii) longitudinal vibrations are present in the shank
iv) If small mass is added to one of the prongs,
frequency decreases due to increase in inertia.
v) If small mass is removed from the end of the
prongs frequency increases due to decrease in
inertia.
vi) When a tuning fork is heated, its frequency
decreases due to decrease in elasticity.

BEATS
34. BEATS : When two sound waves of slightly
different frequencies travelling in same direction
superimpose together, the resultant sound waxes
and wanes at regular intervals of time. This
waxing and waning of sound is called beats.
i) The phenomenon involved in beats is
superposition of waves.
ii) Beat frequency = no. of maxima heard per
second = no. of minima heard per second = no.
of beats per second = n1 ~ n2
n1, n2 are frequencies of parent sounds.
iii) As persistence of hearing is 0.1 sec, max no. of
beats that can be heard per second is 10. (If the
difference in frequences greater than 10Hz,
beats are formed but not heard)
iv) If n1 and n2 are the frequencies of the two sound
waves combined to produce beats, the
n1 n 2
combined wave has a frequency
2
v)

The amplitude of combined wave varies from

0 to 2a if the amplitude of each wave is 'a'.

vi) The frequency with which the amplitude of

combined wave changes is

n1 n2
2

vii) Beat frequency = n1 ~ n2.

viii) Beat period =

1
= Time interval between
n1 ~ n 2

two consecutive maxima (or) minima.

ix) Time interval between maxima and next minima

1

x)

is 2 n ~ n
1
2
For the formation of beats, the amplitudes of
two waves need not be equal.(Imin 0)

xi) If the amplitudes are equal,

amax = a + a = 2a
I a2
Imax = 4Io , Io - intensity of single wave
Here, amin = 0, Imin = 0.
xii) If amplitudes of waves are not equal,
amax = a1+a2 ; amin = a1 ~ a2
xiii) Intensity ratio:
2
I max a1 a2

I min a1 ~ a2 2

I1 I 2
I1 ~

xiv) Beats and parent sounds travel with same

velocity
xvi) Uses of Beats :
a) Can be used to determine unknown
frequency of a tunining fork
b) To tune a musical instrument to a given
note
c) To detect poisonous gases in mines
d) In radio reception of heterodyne receiver,
high frequency oscillations from a
transmitter are combined with a slightly
different frequency produced in the
receiver so that the resultant frequency will
be in the audio range.
e) Beats are used to produce special effects
in cinematography.
35. ECHOES :
i) When an observer produces a sound and
receives its reflection from an obstacle, the
reflected sound is called echo of the original
sound.
ii) The Phenomenon involved in echo is "reflection
of sound".
iii) Since wavelength of sound is large, large objects
alone can produce echo.
iv) The minimum distance between observer and
V
reflecting surface to hear an echo is
(where
20
V is velocity of sound)
v) If a sound wave is reflected from an obstacle
there will be no change in its velocity , wave
length & frequency , but its intensity decreases
vi) A man standing at distance 'd' from a big wall
produces a sound and receives its echo after 't1'
sec. He then walks through a distance 'x'
towards the wall. He produces a sound and
receives its echo after 't2' sec then.
2d = vt1; 2(d-x)=vt2 ; V

2x
t1 t2

In the above case if he moves away from the

wall then
2d = Vt1; 2(d+x) = Vt2 ; V

2x
t2 t1

vii) A car approaches a cliff with velocity Vc blows

a horn when it is at a distance 'd' from the cliff,
the echo is heard after a time 't' then
V=

2d Vc t
t

In the above case if the car is moving away from

2d Vc t
the cliff then V=
t

V = Velocity of sound
viii) A person standing between two parallel cliffs
fires a bullet. He receives first echo after 't1' sec
and second echo after 't 2' seconds after firing
then
2d2
2d1
V= t , V
t2 distance between two cliffs
1
d = d1+d2 =

V t1 t2
2

ix) In the above case if he recives first echo after

't1' sec and second echo 't2' sec latter then
x)

V
d = d1 + d2 = (2t1+t2)
2

A car is moving with velocity 'u' on a road

running parallel to a row of buildings. The
distance between row of buildings and road is
'd'. The driver sounds the horn, he receives the
echo after a time 't' (V is the velocity of sound)

In this case t

2d
V 2 u2

xi) If the car runs midway between parallel rows

of buildings. If the distance between the parallel
rows of buildings is 'd' then
t=

d
v2 u 2

xii) Uses of echo :

a) It can be used to determine the velocity of
sound.
b) To determine height of aeroplane and depth
of ocean.
c) SONAR (sound navigation and ranging
principles can be used for determining position
and speeds of submarines) : Echo techniques
can be applied together with the doppler effect
in detecting the presence of submarines in the
seas using ultrasonics.
d) In SONAR ultrasonics are used because
ordinary sounds are highly absorbed by water.
e) Mega phone, ear trumpet, hydrophone,
fathometer, stethoscope are based on principle
of reflection of sound.

36. DOPPLER EFFECT :

i) The apparent change in the frequency of the
source of sound due to relative motion between
the observer and the source of sound is called
"Doppler effect."

VS
ii)

V0
O

If the source follows observer as shown in the

above figure then the apparent frequency n1 =
v v0

n
v vs

iii) Sign conventions :

a) Direction of velocity of sound is always
from source to observer irrespective of their
directions of motions.
b) v0 and vs are positive if they are in the
direction of sound.
c) v0 and vs are ve if they are opposite to
the direction of sound.
iv) a) If wind blows in the direction of sound
wave, then in place of velocity of sound v,
we take 'v + w' . (w is the velocity of wind)
b)
If wind blows in opposite direction of
sound wave, then in place of velocity of
sound v, we take 'v w'.
v) Doppler effect is independent of distance
between the source and observer.
37) Formulae for apparent frequency in different
cases
a) Source moving towards a stationary

V
n ;
V VS

|
observer n

b)

Source moving away from a stationary

V

|
observer n V V n

c)

Observer moving towards a stationary

V V0
n
V

|
source n

d)

Observer moving away from a stationary

V V0
n
V

|
source n

e)

Source moving towards a receding

V V0
n
V VS

|
observer n

f)

Observer moving towards a receding

V V0
n
source n
V VS
|

g)

The relative velocity between source and

the observer is always taken along the line
of sight of the source by the observer.
When observer is at rest, source is moving
as shown in the below figure. Then

h)

In both cases, shown above there is no Doppler

effect because one is moving at right angles
to the line of sight and the other is at rest.
l) Observer is crossing a stationary source
V V0
V V0
n app
n ; n re c d V
n

napp .
nrecd .

V V0
V V0

Drop in frequency heard by the observer

n
napp . nrecd . n

2 v0 n
v

m) Source crossing a stationary observer :

v
n| = v v cos n

When observer is at rest and source moves

as shown in the given figure. Then

i)

V
n app
n ; n re c d
n
V Vs
V Vs

n app .
n recd .

v vs
v vs

Drop in frequency heard by the observer :

2v n

napp . nrecd . = n _ s
v
n)

If the observer is standing outside the

circular track,

nA = v v cos n; nB = n; nC = v v cos n
s
s

j)

A source is at origin and observer moves,

with constant velocity V0 on the line x = k

nA=nmax= v v n ; nB = n ; nC = nmin= v v n

Drop in frequency heard by the observer :

2 nvs 2 nr
2 nr 2

nmaxnmin _
=
v

= frequency of rotation of circular platform

o) Source in circular motion and observer in SHM

v v 0 cos 2
v

nA= v v 0 cos 1 n ; nB = n ; nC=

k)

When source is at rest and observer moves

perpendicular to the line of sight or viceversa, there is no Doppler effect.

v v 0 max

nmax = v v n
s

Maximum frequency is heard when the

source is at A and observer is at P moving
towards circular orbit on platform.
Minimum frequency is obtained when
source is at C and observer at P moves
away from circular orbit. On platform.
v0
A w 1 ; vs = rw
w1 = angular Velocity of SHM (platform)
w = angular Velocity of source in the
circular orbit
m ax

p)

If source is moving towards a wall with

speed v s and the observer is standing
behind the source as shown in the figure
then
Vs

Vs
image of
source

wall

v
nreflected
v vs
2 nv s
No. of beats = ndnr
v
v
n direct
v vs

q)

If the source is moving towards wall and

observer standing between source and wall
as shown in the figure then
Vs

Vs
image of
source
wall

v
nd
n
v vs

r)

; nnr v v v n

n = No. of beats heard =

difference in frequencies = 0
If both source and observer are moving
towards a wall with same speed u then
u

observer
u
source

image of
source

wall

vu
n
vu

nd = n ; n r

n nd nr

2un
vu

ix) Motion of source produces greater change in

frequency than motion of observer even though
the relative velocities are same in both cases.
x) Doppler effect in sound is asymmetric.
xi) Doppler effect in light is symmetric
xii) Doppler effect is not observed if
a) V0 = Vs = 0 (both are at rest)
b)

V0=Vs=0 and medium is alone in motion.

c)

V0=Vs=u and V0, Vs are in same direction

d)

Vs is to line of sight

xiii) Doppler effect is applicable only when,

V0 << V and Vs << V. (V = vel. of sound)
xiv) uses of Doppler effect :
It is used in
a) SONAR
b) RADAR (Radio detection and ranging
used to determine speed of objects in space).
c) To determine speeds of automobiles by
traffic police. The technique is applied in the
airports to guide the air crafts.
d) To determine speed of rotation of sun and
to explain Saturn's rings.
e) In Astrophysics, it is applied in the study
of the saturn's rings and in the study of binary
stars . Here the doppler's shift in the frequency
of light from the astronomical objects is
measured.
f) Accurate navigation and accurate target
bombing techniques.
g) Tracking earth's satellite.
h) In medicine, it is applied to study the
velocity of blood flow in different parts of the
body and the moment of the foetus in the woob
using ultra sound. The conditions of heart beat
can be inferred by "echocardiogram" generated
from this technique.
xv) DOPPLER SHIFT IN RADAR:
A microwave beam is directed towards the
aeroplane and is received back after reflection
from it. If 'v' is the speed of the plane and 'n' is
the actual frequency of the microwave beam
then the frequency received by moving plane

c v
n1
n
c

Now the plane act as a moving source , the

at a given instant. The minimum time interval

after which of refraction maximum occurs at
the same place is

c v

11
n
frequency of the wave from it is n
c v
(c is velocity of microwave )

Change in frequency n

2nv
c

8.

By measuring n , the speed 'v' can be obtained.

Wave Equations & Basics :
1. Which of the following expressions represents
a simple harmonic progressive wave
1) y = A sin wt
2) y = A sin wt cos kx
3) y = A sin (wt-kx) 4) y = A cos kx
2.

The displacement y of a particle in a medium

can be expressed as y = 106 sin

100 t 20 x m where 't' is in second and

4

x in metre. The speed of wave is(AIEEE 2004)

1) 2000 ms12) 5 ms1 3) 20 ms1 4) 5 ms1
3.

The equation of a transverse wave travelling

on
a
rope
is
given
by

y 10sin 0.01x 2.00 t where y and x are

4.

in cm and t in seconds. The maximum

transverse speed of a particle in the rope is
about
1) 62.8 cm/s 2) 75 cm/s 3) 100 cm/s 4) 121 cm/s
The angular frequency of a particle in a
progressive wave in an elastic medium is
100 rads-1 and it is moving with a velocity
of200ms-1. The phase difference between two
particles seperated by a distance of 20m is
1) 31.4 rad 2) rad 3)

5.

rad 4) 36 rad

A progressive wave moves with a velocity of

36m/s in a medium with a frequency of 200Hz.
The phase difference between two particles
seperated by a distance of 1cm is 0
1) 40

2) 20 rad

3)

rad

1)

4)

1
1
1
1
s 2)
s 3)
s 4)
s
250
500
1000
350

A wave of length 2m is superposed on its

reflected wave to form a stationary wave. A
node is located at x = 3m. The next node will
be located at x =
1) 3.25 m 2) 3.50 m 3) 3.75 m
4) 4m

9. The equation of a stationary wave is

x
sin 200 t where x is in cm
20

y= 0.8 cos

and t is in seconds. The separation between

consecutive nodes is
1) 10 cm 2) 20 cm 3) 30 cm
4) 40 cm
Strings :
10. Length of a string tied to two rigid supports
is 40 cm. Maximum wavelength in cm of a
stationary wave produced on it is (AIEEE 2002)
1) 20 cm 2) 80 cm 3) 40 cm
4) 120 cm
11. The length of a sonometer wire AB is 100 cm,
where should the two bridges be placed from
A to divide the wire in 3 segments whose
fundamental frequencies are in the ratio of 1 : 2 : 6
1) 30 cm, 90 cm
2) 60cm, 90 cm
3) 40 cm, 80 cm
4) 20 cm, 30 cm
12. A 5.5 m long string has a mass of 0.035 kg. If
the tension in the string is 77 N, the speed of a
wave on the string is
1) 110 m/s 2) 165 m/s 3) 77 m/s 4) 102 m/s
13. The length of a sonometer wire tuned to a
frequency of 256 Hz is 0.6 m. Calculate the
frequency of the tuning fork with which the
vibrating wire will be in tune when the length
is made 0.4 m.
1) 78 Hz 2) 512 Hz 3) 384 Hz 4) 126 Hz

6.

The speed of a wave in a medium is 760 m/s.

If 3600 waves are passing through a point in
the medium in 2 minutes, then its wavelength is
1) 13.8 m 2) 25.3 m 3) 41.5 m 4) 57.2 m

14. The fundamental frequency of a string stretched

with a weight of 4kg is 256 Hz. The weight
required to produce its octave is
1) 4 kg wt 2) 12 kg wt
3) 16 kg wt
4) 24 kg wt

7.

A progressive wave of frequency 500 Hz is

travelling with a speed of 350 m/s. A
compressional maximum appears at a place

15. Two strings A and B, made of the same

material, have equal lengths. The cross

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

sectional area of A is half that of B while the

tension on A is twice that on B. The ratio of
the velocities of transverse waves in A and B
is
1) 2 : 1 2) 1: 2 3) 2 : 1
4) 1 : 2
The density of the stretched string is changed
by 2% without change in tension and radius.
The change in transverse wave velocity.
1) 2% increase
2) 1% increase
3) 1% increase or decrease
4) 4% change
The tension in the string is changed by 2%
what is the change in the transverse wave
velocity
1) 1%
2) 2%
3) 3%
4) 4%
To increase the frequency by 20 % ,the tension
in the string vibrating on a sonometer has to
be increased by
(2007 M)
1) 44 % 2) 33%
3) 22 %
4) 11%
When the tension in a string is increased by
44%. the frequency increased by 10Hz the
frequency of the string is
1) 100 Hz 2) 200 Hz 3) 150 Hz 4) 50 Hz
A wire whose linear density is 5 x 10-3 kg/m is
stretched between two points with a tension
450 N. The wire resonates at a frequency of
420 Hz. The next higher frequency at which
the same wire resonates is 490 Hz. What is
the length of the wire?
(2007 M)
1) 1.2 m 2) 1.8 m 3) 2.1 m

4) 8.1 m

21. In order to double the frequency of the

fundamental note emitted by a stretched
string, the length is reduced 3/4 th of the
original length and the tension is changed. The
factor by which the tension is to be changed is
(2001 E)
1)

3
8

2)

2
3

3)

8
9

4)

9
4

22. Two uniform strings 'A' and 'B' made of steel

are made to vibrate under the same tension.
If the first overtone of 'A' is equal to the
second overtone of 'B' and if the radius of 'A'
is twice that of 'B' the ratio of the lengths of
the string is
(2003 E)
1) 1:2
2) 1:3
3) 1:4
4) 1:5
23. Transverse waves are generated in two steel
wires A and B by attaching their free ends to

a vibrating source of frequency 500 Hz. The

diameter of A is half that of B and tension on
B is double that on A. What is the ratio of the
velocities of waves in wires A and B?
1) 1 : 2 2) 2 : 1 3) 1 : 2
4) 2 : 1
24. The third overtone produced by a vibrating
string 0.5m long is 1200Hz. The speed of
propagation of the wave in ms 1 is
1) 400 2) 300
3) 600
4) 1200
25. A wave of frequency 100Hz is sent along a
string towards a fixed end. When this wave
travles back then after reflection, a node is
formed at a minimum distance of 10 cm from
the fixed end of the string. The speed of the
incident wave is
1) 40 m/s 2) 20 m/s 3) 10 m/s 4) 5 m/s
Velocity of Sound :
26. The temperature at which the speed of sound
in air becomes double of its value at 00C is
[AIEEE 2002]
1) 273 K 2) 546 K 3) 1092 K 4) 0 K
27. The ratio of the speed of sound in nitrogen
gas to that in helium gas, at 300 K is [IIT 99]
1) 2 / 7 2) 1/ 7 3) 3 / 5 4) 6 / 5
28. The speed of sound in air at 150C and 76 cm
of Hg is 340 m/s. The speed of sound in air at
300C and 75 cm of Hg will be (in m/s)
1) 340

303
288

3) 340 2

2) 340

288
303

4) 340

2 75
76

29. The velocities of sound in an ideal gas at

temperature T1 and T2 K are found to be V1
and V2 respectively. If the r.m.s velocities of
the molecules of the same gas at the same
temperatures T 1 and T 2 are 1 and 2
respectively then
V1
V2
1) 2 1 V
2) 2 1 V


3) 2 1

V2
V1

V1
V2

4) 2 1

30. 1 and 2 are the velocities of sound at the

same temperature in two monoatomic gases

of densities 1 and 2 respectively.

If

1 1

2 4 then the ratio of velocities 1 and 2 is

1) 1 : 2 2) 4 : 1

3) 2 : 1

4) 1 : 4

Pipes :
31. An open organ pipe sounds a fundamental
note of frequency 330 Hz. If the speed in air
is 330 m/s then the length of the pipe is nearly
1) 0.25 m

2) 0.50 m3) 0.75 m 4) 2.00 m

32. A cylindrical tube, open at both ends, has a

fundamental frequency f0 in air. The tube is
dipped vertically into water such that half of
its length is inside water. The fundamental
frequency of the air column now is
(RPET99, RPMT98, 2000 ; J & K CET 2000 ;
KCET 2002, BHU 2002, BCECE 2003]
1) 3f0 / 4 2) f0

3) f0 / 2

4) 2f0

33. An organ pipe P1 , closed at one end and

vibrating in its first overtone, and another
pipe P2 open at both ends and vibrating in its
third overtone, are in resonance with a given
tuning fork . The ratio of the length of P1 to
that of P2 is
(EAMCET 97, MH CET 1999, AFMC 2001)
1)

8
3

2)

3
8

3)

1
2

4)

1
3

34. An open pipe 30 cm long and a closed pipe 23

cm long, both of the same diameter, are each
sounding their first overtone are in unison.
The end correction of these pipes is
1) 0.5 cm

2) 0.3 cm

3) 1 cm

4) 1.2 cm

35. Two closed organ pipes of length 100 cm and

101 cm produces 16 beats in 20 sec when each
pipe is sounded in its fundamental mode
calculate the velocity of sound
1) 303 m/s

2) 332 m/s

3) 323.2 m/s

4) 300 m/s

36. If l1 , l2 and l3are wave lengths of the waves

giving resonance with fundamental, first and

second over tones of closed organ pipe. The

ratio of wavelengths l1: l2:l3 is ..........

1 1
:
3 5

1) 1 : 2 : 3

2) 1 :

3) 1 : 3 : 5

4) 5 : 3 : 1

37. An open organ pipe and closed pipe have

same length. The ratio of frequencies of their
nth over tone is ..........

n 1
2n 1
n
3)
2n 1

1)

2( n 1)
2n 1
n 1
4)
2n

2)

38. Two pipes have each of length 2m. One is

closed at one end and the other is open at both
ends. The speed of sound in air is 340m/s the
frequency at which both can resonate is .....
1) 340 Hz
2) 510 Hz
3) 42.5 Hz
4) does not exist
39. The first overtone of an open pipe has
frequency n. The first ovetone of a closed pipe
of the same length will have frequency
1) n/2
2) 2n
3) 3n/4
4) 4n/3
40. If a resonance tube is sounded with a tuning
fork of frequency 256 Hz, resonance occurs
at 35 cm and 105 cm. The velocity of sound is
about
1) 360 m/s
2) 512 m/s
3) 524 m/s
4) 400 m/s
41. Fundamental frequency of pipe is 100 Hz and
other two frequencies are 300 Hz and 500 Hz
then
(RPMT 1998, 2003, CPMT 2001)
1) Pipe is open at both the ends
2) pipe is closed at both the ends
3) One end open and another end is closed
4) None of the above
Beats :
42. Two tuning forks when sounded together
produce 5 beats in 2 seconds. The time interval
between two sucessive maximum intensities of
sound is
1) 0.5 s 2) 0.2 s 3) 0.4 s
4) 0.3 s
43. Two progressive waves y1 = 4 sin 400 t and
y2 = 3 Sin 404 t moving in the same direction
superpose on each other producing beats.
Then the number of beats per second and the

ratio of maxium to minimum intensity of the

resultant waves are respectively
1) 2 and

5
1

2) 4 and

49
1

3) 4 and

16
9

4) 2 and

49
1

45. Two stretched wires of same length, diameter

and same material are in unison. The tension
in one is increased by 2% and 2 beats per
second are heard. What was the frequency of
the note produced when they were in unision
1) 100 Hz 2) 200 Hz 3) 300 Hz 4) 400 Hz
46. The frequency of a tuning fork A is 5% greater
than that of a standard fork K. The frequency
of another fork B is 3% less than that of K.
When A and B are vibrated simulataneously 4
beats per second are heard. Find the frequencies
of A and B.
1) 52.5 Hz, 48.5 Hz 2) 63.5 Hz, 79.5 Hz
3) 10.5 Hz, 101 Hz 4) 124 Hz, 120 Hz
47. 64 tuning forks are arranged such that each
fork produces 4 beats per second with next
one. If the frequency of the last fork is octave
of the first, the frequency of 16th fork is
1) 316 Hz 2) 322 Hz 3) 312 Hz 4) 308 Hz
48. A tuning fork produces 4 beats per sec with
one fork of frequency 288 cps. A little wax is
placed on the unknown fork and it produces 2
frequency of B is
1) 250 Hz 2) 266 Hz 3) 258 Hz

beats per second. The frequency of unknown

fork is
(AIEEE 2002)
1) 286 cps 2) 292 cps 3) 294 cps 4) 288 cps
49. A tuning fork produces 7 beats/s with a tuning
fork of frequency 248Hz. Unknown fork is
now loaded and 7 beats/s are still heard. The
frequency of unknown fork was
1) 241 Hz
2) 248 Hz
3) 255 Hz
4) 234 Hz
50. Tuning fork A of frequency 258 Hz gives 8
beats with a tuning fork B. When fork B is
filed nd again A and B are sounded the number
of beats heard remains same. The frequency
of B is
1) 250 Hz
2) 264 Hz
3) 258 Hz
4) 266 Hz
51. Two tuning forks A and B vibrating
simultaneously produce 5 beats /s. Frequency
of B is 512 Hz. If one arm of A is filed, the
number of beats per second increases.
Frequency of A is
1) 502 Hz 2) 507 Hz
3) 517 Hz 4) 522 Hz
52.

Tuning fork A of frequency 258 Hz gives 8

beats with a tuning fork B. When the tuning
fork A is filed and again A and B are sounded
the number of beats heard decreases. The

4) 242 Hz

53. Two tuning forks A and B vibrating simultaneously produce 5 beats /s. Frequency of B is 512 Hz. If
tuning fork B is now loaded with wax, when it vibrated with A the number of beats become 6 beats
per second. Frequency of A is
1) 502 Hz 2) 507 Hz 3) 517 Hz
4) 522 Hz
54. A tuning fork of frequency 340 Hz produces 5 beats per second with a sonometer wire. If the
tension is slightly increased the number of beats becomes 4. The frequency of sonometer wire is
1) 335 Hz 2) 345 Hz 3) 330 Hz
4) 350 Hz
55. Two tuning forks x and y produce tones of frequencies 256 Hz and 262 Hz respectively. An unknown
tone sounded with x produces, beats. When it is sounded with y the number of beats produced is
doubled. The unknown frequency is
1) 254 Hz 2) 258 Hz 3) 264 Hz
4) 259 Hz
56. A source of frequency X gives 5 beats/s when sounded with a source of frequency 200 Hz. The
second harmonic of source gives 10 beats/s when sounded with a source of frequency 420 Hz. The
value of x is

1) 200 Hz 2) 210 Hz 3) 205 Hz

Echoes :

4) 195 Hz

57. The minimum distance between the man and the reflecting surface so that he can hear the echo is
(velocity of sound 340 ms-1 )
1) 16.5 m 2) 17m
3) 18m
4) 16 m
58. A man standing at some distance from a cliff hears the echo of sound after 2s. He walks 495 m away
from the cliff. He produces a sound there and recieves the echo after 5s. What is the speed of
sound?
1) 330 m/s
2) 340 m/s
3) 390 m/s
4) 380 m/s
59. A person moving in a car with a velocity of 36 kmph towards a large wall blows a horn. If he hears
the echo after 3s, the distance of wall from him when he blows the horn
(velocity of sound 340 ms-1 )
1) 340 m 2) 1050m 3) 700m
4) 525 m
60. The height of a cloud above the earth is 100 m. If an observer hears the sound of a thunder 0.3s
after the lightening is seen, what is the velocity of sound on that rainy day
1) 300 m/s
2) 333.3 m/s
3) 100 m/s
4) 666.6 m/s
61. A rifle is fired in a valley formed between two parallel mountains. The echo from one mountain is
heard after 1.5s and from the other is heard 3s later. What is the width of the valley? (velocity of
sound = 340 ms-1 )
1) 1080 m2) 1060 m 3) 1040 m 4) 1020 m
62. A man standing between two parallel cliffs produces sound and heard the first echo after 4 secs and
next echo after 2 sec later v = 330 ms-1. when is the third echo heard
1) 4s
2) 5 s 3) 10s
4) 6 s
Doppler Effect :
63. A whistle producing sound waves of frequencies 9500 Hz and is approaching a stationary person
with speed ms1. The velocity of sound in air is 300 ms1. If the person can hear frequencies upto
a maximum of 10,000 Hz. The maximum value of upto which he can hear the whistle is
(AIEEE 2006)
1) 30 ms1
2) 15 2 ms1
3) 15 2 ms1

4) 15 ms1

64. A source of sound is travelling towards a stationary observer. The frequency of sound heard by the
observer is 25% more that the actual frequency. If the speed of sound is v, that of the source is
1)

v
5

2)

v
4

3)

v
3

4)

v
2

65. To an observer, the pitch of a stationary source of sound appears to be reduced by 20%. If the
speed of sound is 340m/s then speed and direction of the observer is
1) 86 m/s towards the source
2) 68 m/s towards the source
3) 86 m/s away from the source
4) 68 m/s away from the source
66. An observer moves towards a stationary source of sound with a velocity onefifth of velocity of
sound. The percentage increase in apparent frequency is
(AIEEE 2005)

2) 20%

3) Zero

4) 0.5%

67. When both source and listner approach each

other with a velocity equal to half the velocity
of sound, the change in frequency of the sound
as detected by the listner is (frequency of
sound=n)
n
1) n
2) 2n
3) 2
4) 3n
68. An engine giving off whistle is moving towards
a stationary observer with 50m/s speed. What
will be the ratio of the frequencies of the
whistle heard when engine is approaching and
receding from the observer? (speed of sound
= 350 m/s)
1) 2 : 1 2) 4 : 5
3) 4 : 3
4) 3 : 4
69. A train running at 108 km/hr towards east
whistles at a frequency of 800 Hz. The
frequencies heard by a passenger sitting in the
train and a person standing near the track
whom the train has just passed(Speed of Sound
=330 m/s)
1) 800 Hz, 733 Hz 2) 740 Hz, 800 Hz
3) 800 Hz, 880 Hz 4) 800 Hz, 750 Hz
70. A source and a deterctor move away from
each other, each with a speed of 10 m/s with
respect to ground with no wind. If the detector
detects a frequency 1650 Hz of the sound
coming from the source, what is the original
frequency of the source? (speed of sound =
340 m/s)
1) 750 Hz
2) 1750 Hz
3) 2000 Hz
4) 1800 Hz
71. Two trains are moving towards each other at
speeds of 144 km/hr and 54 km/hr relative to
the ground. The first train sounds a whistle of
frequency 600 Hz. Find the frequency of the
whistle as heard by a passenger in the second
train before the trains meet. (v=340m/s)
1) 610 Hz 2) 510 Hz 3) 710 Hz 4) 170 Hz
v

72. A Car is travelling at 10 ms1 and sounds horn

of frequency 990 Hz. The apparent frequency
v
heard by a police chasing the car at 9 ms1
where V is velocity of sound
1) 990 Hz
2) 900 Hz
3) 1000 Hz
4) 0
73. A source is moving with a constant speed of
10 m/s on a circular track of 200 m. It emits a
sound of frequency 200 Hz. A listener stands

7 of the circular track. The

at the centre
frequency recieved by the listener is (velocity
of sound = 340 m/s)
1) zero 2) 200 Hz 3) 190 Hz 4) 210 Hz
7

1) 5%

74. A car travels at a speed of 'a' towards a high

wall. The driver sounds a horn of frequency
'n'. If V is the velocity of sound in air,
frequency of reflected sound heard by the
driver is
V a
V a
1) n
2) n
V a
V a
3) n

V a
V

4) n

V a
V

75. The wave length of the sound produced by a

source is 0.8m. If the source moves towards
the stationary listner at 32 ms 1 , what is the
apparent wave length of sound if the velocity
of sound is 320 ms1
1) 0.32 m 2) 0.4 m 3) 0.72 m 4) 0.80 m
76. A person going away from a factory on his
scooter at a speed of 36 km/hr listens to the
siren of the factory. If the frequency of siren
is 525 Hz and a wind is blowing along the
direction of scooter at 36km/hr the frequency,
heard by the person is (velocity of sound =
340 m/s)
1) 680 Hz 2) 510 Hz 3) 640 Hz 4) 600 Hz
Accoustics :
77. The absorption coefficient of a material is .
The ratio of maximum to minimum current
during its determination by stationary wave
method is
1) 8
2) 4
3) 2
4) 3
78. In a big hall of volume 30 x 20 x 10 m3, if the
reverberation time is 1.7 sec. The total sound
absorption in the hall is ---- Metric Sabine
1) 6000 2) 600
3) 3000 4) 300
79. The reverberation time of a hall of volume
200m3 is 1.7sec. The reverberation time if 20
persons having absorption 0.4 metric sabine
entered the hall, nearly is
1) 1.5S
2) 1.4S
3) 1.3S
4) 1.2S
80. The volume of a room is 600 m3. The wall area
of the room is 220 m2 . The floor and ceiling

have area of 120 m2 each. The absorption

coefficients of walls, floor and ceiling are 0.03,
0.8 and 0.06 respectively. Calculate the
reverberation time
1) 0.93 s 2) 0.5 s 3) 0.2 s
4) 1.8 s
81. If due to the entry of audience into a hall the
absorption becomes 3/2 times of initial
absorption the final reverberation time, (if
initial reverberation time was T) wil be
1) T
2) 3/2 T 3) 0.67 T 4) 0.75 T
82. The correct graph repressenting the relation
between intensity and time when a sound of is
turned on in an enclosure and after some time
it is switched off

experiment. One is loaded with 12kg and the

other with 3 kg. The fundamental frequency
of the first string is equal to the first overtone
of the second string. If the length of the second
string is 100 cm, then the length of the first string
is
(2008-M)
1) 300 cm 2) 200 cm 3) 100 cm 4) 50 cm
87. The speed of sound in oxygen (O2) at a certain
temperature is 460 ms-1. The speed of sound
in helium (He) at the same temperature will
be (assumed both gases to be ideal)
(2008-AIEEE)
1) 1420 ms -1
3) 650 ms-1

2) 500 ms -1
4) 330 ms-1

1)

2)

88. A wave travelling along the x-axis is described

by the equation y(x,t) = 0.005 cos
( x t .If the wavelength and the time
period of the wave are 0.08 m and 2.0 s,

3)

4)

respectively, then and in appropriate

units are
(2008-AIEEE)

83. When a sound wave of wavelength ' ' is

propagating in a medium, the maximum
velocity of the particle is equal to the velocity.
The amplitude of waves is (2008-E)
1)

2)

3)

4)

84. A car is moving with a speed of72 kmph

towards a hill. Car blows horn at a distance
of 1800 m from the hill. If echo is heard after
10 seconds, the speed of sound (in m/sec) is
(2008-E)
1) 300 2) 320
3) 340
4) 360
85. The frequencies of three tunuing forks A, B
and C have a relation nA > nB > nC. When the
forks A and B are sounded together the
number of beats produced is n1. When A and
C are sounded together the number of beats
produced is n2 , then the number of beats
produced when B and C are sounded together
is
(2008-M)
n1 n 2
1) n1 + n2 2)
3) n2 n1 4) n1 n2
2
86. Two strings of the same material and the same
area of cross section are used in sonometer

1) 25.00 , 2)
3)

0.08 2.0
,

0.04
1.0

,
4) 12.50 ,

2.0

89. While measuring the speed of sound by

performing a resonance column experiment,
a student gets the first resonace condition at
a column length of 18 cm during
winter.Repeating the same experiment during
summer, she measures the column length to
be x cm for the second resonance. Then
(2008-AIEEE)
1) 18 > x
3) 54 > x> 36

2) x > 54
4) 36 > x > 18

90. Two sources A and B are sending notes of

frequency 680 Hz. A listener moves from A
to B with a constant velocity 'u'. If the speed
of sound in air is 340 ms1, what must be the
value 'u' so that he hears 10 beats per second ?
(2009 -E)
1) 2.0 m-s1
2) 2.5 m-s1
3) 3.0 m-s1
4) 3.5 m-s1
91. Two identical piano wires have a fundamental
frequency of 600 c/s when kept under the same

tension. What fractional increases in the

tension of one wire will lead to the occurence
of 6 beats per second when both wires vibrate
simultaneously?
(2009 -E)
1) 0.01 2) 0.02
3) 0.03
4) 0.04

11) 2

12) 1

13) 3

14) 3

15) 3

16) 3

17) 1

18) 1

19) 4

20) 3

21) 4

22) 2

23) 4

24) 2

25) 2

26) 3

27) 3

28) 1

29) 2

30) 3

31) 2

32) 2

33) 2

34) 3

35) 3

36) 2

37) 2

38) 4

39) 3

40) 1

41) 3

42) 3

43) 4

44) 1

45) 2

46) 1

47) 3

48) 2

49) 3

50) 1

51) 3

52) 2

53) 3

54) 1

55) 2

56) 3

57) 2

58) 1

59) 4

60) 2

61) 4

62) 3

63) 4

64) 1

65) 4

66) 2

67) 2

68) 3

69) 1

70) 2

71) 3

72) 3

73) 2

74) 1

75) 3

76) 2

77) 4

78) 2

79) 4

80) 1

81) 3

82) 4

83) 3

84) 2

85) 3

86) 3

87) 1

88) 1

89) 2

90) 2

91) 2

92) 1

93) 2

94) 2

92. A theatre of volume 100 x 40 x 10 m can

accommodate
1000
visitors.
The
reverberation time of the theatre when empty
is 8.5 sec. If the theatre is now filled with 500
visitors, occupying the front - half seats, the
reverberation time changes to 6.2 seconds.
The average absorption coefficient of each
visitor is nearly
(2009-M)
1) 0.6
2) 0.5
3) 0.45
4) 0.7
93. An observer is standing 500 mts away from a
vertical hill. Starting from a point between the
observer and the hill, a police van moves
towards the hill with uniform speed sounding
a siren of frequency of 100 Hz. If the
frequency of the sound heard by the observer
directly from the siren is 970 Hz, the frequency
of the sound heard by the observer after
reflection from the hill (Hz) is nearly (Velocity
of sound in air=330 m/s)
(2009-M)
1) 1042 2) 1031 3) 1022
4) 1012
94. Three sound waves of equal amplitudes have
frequencies (v-1), v, (v+1). They superpose to
give beats. The number of beast produced per
second will be:
(2009-AIEEE)
1) 3
2) 2
3) 1
4) 4
95. A motor cycle starts from rest and accelerates
along a straight path at 2 m/s2. At the atraight
point of the motor cycle there is a stationary
electric siren. How far has the motor cycle
gone when the driver hears the frequency of
the siren at 94% of its value when the motor
cycle was at rest? (Speed of sound = 330 ms-1)
(2009-AIEEE)
1) 98 m 2) 147 m 3) 196 m

4) 49m

ANSWERS
EXERCISE II(A)
1) 3

2) 2

3) 1

4) 1

5) 3

6) 2

7) 3

8)4

9) 2

10) 2