Many people want to find answers to questions about what sound phenomena are, how and where they come from. How do some sounds differ from others? Why do we hear them?
Today we will look into the section of physics that studies sound phenomena. This section is called acoustics.
Wobbling is the cause of all sounds on the planet
If we hear some kind of noise, then mentally we can imagine this source that makes it. So, if we look at it, there we will see what fluctuates. When we talk, the vocal cords vibrate inside our body. Thus, we hear our own voice. We observe and hear examples of sound phenomena in physics every day.
Historical background
Studies the physics of sound phenomena since ancient times. Our eternal companions in life are noises and sounds. There are noise vibrations that are pleasant to us, while others annoy us. From these words, we can conclude that sounds and sound phenomena affect the consciousness and well-being of a person in different ways. It is known that some noises can drive a person crazy, but there are sounds thatcapable of curing any ailment in a person. All these discoveries were made by man before our era. A little later you will learn what sound phenomena are. In the meantime, let's talk about discoveries in the field of acoustics.
Ancient civilizations
The clergy of the temples of Ancient Egypt noticed the amazing healing effect of sound on a person. Naturally, they used this phenomenon for religious purposes. Now the ritual holidays of the Egyptians were not without choirs and chants. A little later, music and sounds burst into the churches of Christians. Indians were the first to master a high level of musical skill. Back in those distant times, they created and actively used musical notation. The Indians endowed each note with a certain meaning. The last note of the scale "Ne" meant sadness, the note "Pa" meant joy.
Pythagoras - father of acoustics
Since ancient times, people have sought to study sound phenomena. For example, the ancient Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras, who lived about 2.5 thousand years ago, conducted various experiments with sounds. Thanks to his discoveries, he proved that the low tone of instruments is inherent only to those that have long strings. When a string is halved, the sound rises by one octave. Thanks to these conclusions of Pythagoras, a foundation was laid in the branch of physics - acoustics. The very first acoustic devices were created by the Greeks, who lived in the era of antiquity. They used them in theaters. These devices were in the form of small horns that the actors inserted into their mask in order toamplify the sound. By the way, the phenomenon of whispering statues of gods in Ancient Egypt was very interesting.
Renaissance and Modern Times
For many centuries, sound phenomena have continued to be studied. For example, even the painter Leonardo da Vinci was engaged in acoustics. In his writings, he formulated the principle of the independence of sound waves from various sources. After 400 years in France at the Paris Academy of Sciences, Joseph Saver published "Memoirs on Acoustics". Then Newton studied the work of Saver. Based on his findings and conclusions, he developed a calculation of the length of the sound wave. Newton came to the conclusion that the wavelength of a sound wave is twice as long as the pipe that reproduces this sound.
Sound definition
What refers to sound phenomena? Let's move on to the definition of the term "sound". These are mechanical vibrations that propagate in elastic media such as gas, liquids and solids. Such mechanical vibrations are perceived by the organs of hearing, that is, our ears. The simplest example that will explain the essence of sound is the string of any musical instrument. It transmits vibrations to the surrounding air particles. The vibrations travel far, and when they reach the ear, they cause the eardrum to vibrate. This way we hear the sound differently.
Sound phenomena in nature
Sound waves cannot be seen. However, you can imagine how they will look. To do this, you need to go to any body of water. If you quitstone into a lake or pond, then at first you will see a depression. Then the water rises, and as a result, waves appear on the surface of the reservoir, which are alternately alternating depressions and ridges. They will spread in all directions.
Sections in acoustics
Issues of the origin and propagation, as well as the absorption of sound, are de alt with by acoustics. Over the past 10 years, physical acoustics has discovered sounds that lie beyond the limits of hearing. They are studied by ultrasonics. Technical acoustics deals with the processes of receiving, transmitting and receiving sound recordings with the help of electrical appliances. The next section that studies the propagation of sound in a room is architectural acoustics. For her, not only the dimensions and shapes of the room where the sound is studied are important, but also the materials that cover the walls and ceilings of the room. Musical acoustics studies the nature and origin of musical sounds. Along with other sections, there is also marine acoustics (hydroacoustics). It is designed to study sound phenomena in the aquatic environment. Hydroacoustics is necessary for the development, as well as the creation of sound devices that can be used on submarines. There is another type - atmospheric acoustics. She studies sound phenomena in the atmosphere. Physiological acoustics stands guard over the hearing organs. Thanks to it, we know the capabilities of our organs, their structure and action. This type of acoustics studies the formation of sounds of the organs of speech. And the last type is biological acoustics. She deals with ultrasound and sonicanimal communication. She also studies the location mechanisms used by animals, in addition, biological acoustics is designed to investigate the problems of noise and vibration, it is necessary in order to combat harmful noises and to improve the environment.
Anomalous natural sound phenomena
There are places on our planet known for the hum phenomenon. It is described as a constant and low frequency hum. The source of this sound has not yet been discovered. The city of Talas in New Mexico possesses such an anomalous sound source. Surprisingly, only 2% of the local residents of the city hear this hum, they say that the sound is extremely disturbing.
Anomalous natural sound phenomena
One of the most pleasant sounds people consider the purring of cats. Scientists are still studying this phenomenon. The origin of this sound is still unknown. No less amazing in nature are the very complex and long sounds that male humpback whales make. Many scientists believed that this was necessary to attract females, but recent studies have shown that the sound does not attract females at all, but males.
There are a huge number of sounds in nature. We hear thunder. In winter, snow crunches under our feet. If you scream in the forest, we will hear an echo. It is also an example of sound phenomena in nature.
Thus, we have considered examples of sound phenomena in physics and nature. Now you are not afraid of any test work.
