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💡 Where sound begins
Pluck a rubber band, blow a bansuri, strike a taal — every sound starts with something shaking back and forth. No shaking, no sound.
How is sound produced?
Sound
Produced by vibrations - the periodic toand-fro motion of an object. The vibrating object is the source
- Sound is produced by vibrations — the periodic to-and-fro motion (oscillations) of an object.
- As long as the object vibrates, sound is produced; when it stops, so does the sound.
- The vibrating object is called the source of the sound.
Activity 10.1 — Let us explore
In this Activity, we will explore how a vibrating rubber band produces sound and stops producing it once the vibration stops.
Activity 10.1 - Vibration Makes Sound
Step 1
Stretch a rubber band over an open box
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Step 2
Pluck it and watch it vibrate
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Step 3
Wait until it stops vibrating
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Sound lasts only while the band vibrates
- Stretch a rubber band across the open side of a cardboard box (Fig. 10.2).
- Pluck the band and listen — do you hear a sound? Watch it: is it vibrating?
- Wait till the band stops vibrating — do you still hear the sound?
- Change the tension and pluck again; notice how the sound changes.
What we observe
Sound is heard
only while the band vibrates
. Once the vibration stops, the sound stops — sound is produced by vibrations.
🧵 Threads of Curiosity
- Gently touch your throat while you talk or sing.
- You can feel vibrations there!
- Sound in humans comes from vibrating vocal cords .
- These are stretched flaps inside the voice box, or larynx.
- Tongue, lips, mouth and nasal cavity shape it into speech.
- Grasshoppers and crickets rub wings or legs to make sound.
