For the formation of distinct beats, the frequencies of two sources of...
For the formation of distinct beats, frequencies of two sources of sound should be nearly equal, i.e., difference in frequencies of two sources must be small, say less than 10. The impression of sound heard by ow ears persists on our mind for 1 /10th of a second. If another sound is heard before (1 /10) second passes, the impressions of the two sounds mix up and our mind cannot distinguish between the two. In order to hear distinct beats, time interval between two successive beats must be greater than 1 /10 second. Therefore, frequency of beats must be less than 1 0,i.e., number of beats/sec, which is equal to difference in frequencies of two sources must be less than 10. Hence the two sources should be of nearly equal frequencies.
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For the formation of distinct beats, the frequencies of two sources of...
Formation of Distinct Beats
To understand why the correct answer is option 'A' - the frequencies of two sources of sound should be nearly equal, we need to understand what beats are and how they are formed.
Beats are the periodic variation in the intensity or loudness of a sound when two sound waves of slightly different frequencies interfere with each other. They are observed as a result of the superposition of two waves.
When two sound waves of slightly different frequencies are superimposed, they create a beat frequency. The beat frequency is equal to the difference between the frequencies of the two waves. For example, if one wave has a frequency of 400 Hz and the other has a frequency of 410 Hz, the beat frequency will be 10 Hz.
Explanation:
1. Formation of Beats:
- When two sound waves of slightly different frequencies, f1 and f2, are combined, they interfere with each other and create beats.
- The superposition of these waves results in constructive and destructive interference, causing variations in the intensity or loudness of the resulting sound.
- The beat frequency is the difference between the frequencies of the two waves, calculated as |f1 - f2|.
2. Nearly Equal Frequencies:
- When the frequencies of the two sound sources are nearly equal, the beat frequency becomes perceptible to the human ear.
- The closer the frequencies are to each other, the slower the beat frequency, and thus, more distinct beats are heard.
- If the frequencies are too different, the beats become too fast to be heard distinctly.
3. Other Options:
b) One frequency should be half of the other:
- When one frequency is exactly half of the other, it does not result in the formation of distinct beats.
- Instead, it leads to the phenomenon of resonance, where there is a maximum transfer of energy between the two sources.
c) Greater variation in frequencies:
- If the frequencies of the two sources have a greater variation, such as 100 Hz, the resulting beat frequency would be too fast to be perceived as distinct beats.
- In this case, the beats would merge into a continuous sound.
d) Double of each other:
- When the frequencies are double of each other, the resulting beat frequency is zero.
- This means that the waves are in phase, resulting in constructive interference and a constant loudness.
Conclusion:
The correct answer is option 'A' - the frequencies of two sources of sound should be nearly equal for the formation of distinct beats. When the frequencies are similar, the resulting beat frequency is slow enough for the human ear to perceive as distinct variations in loudness.