Sound – Vibrating Bodies Produce Sound

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How do Vibrating Bodies Produce Sound?

We know that vibration produces sound. If a body is set into vibration it will produce some sound. Some vibrations are visible while some are not.

Let us see some examples of vibrating bodies producing sound

• The first example is of a very famous Indian instrument, the

The two flat faces of the dholak are called membranes. It is these membranes that vibrate and produce sound when struck.

• In musical instruments like the sitar and guitar, it is the vibration of strings when plucked, that produces the sound. These vibrations are then transferred to the soundboard which adjusts the loudness of the

• In a flute, the vibrations are produced by the air column. When we breathe into its mouth hole, the air inside the flute starts vibrating and we hear the

• The buzzing sound produced by a mosquito is because of the vibrations produced by the flapping of its wings.

 Experiments Showing Vibrations Producing Sound

Let us look at a few simple experiments to understand how vibrating bodies produce sound.

Vibrating string

Take a string and stretch it such that it does not form any curves in the middle. Now pluck the string from the centre. You will observe that the string vibrates and it produces a sound.

Vibrating pan

Take a frying pan and strike the pan with a spoon. You will hear a sound and at the same time, you will feel the spoon vibrating in your hand. If you touch the pan immediately after the strike, you will feel that the pan is also vibrating.

If we pour some water in the pan and then strike it. We will observe waves are generated in the water. They are generated because of the vibrations in the pan.

Summary