Chapter 17: Waves—II
Beta Version: Some equations may not render correctly (try Chrome/Firefox, clear cache, or refresh). Solutions, videos, and animations coming soon!
Waves play a crucial role in understanding phenomena from the sound of a rocket launch to the tracking of its speed using radar. Building on the foundational wave concepts from Chapter 16 (Waves—I), this chapter explores advanced topics in wave mechanics. For JEE Main, JEE Advanced, and NEET students, mastering these concepts is essential, as they frequently appear in problems involving sound, motion, and high-speed phenomena. This chapter, Waves—II, covers sound waves and their properties, the Doppler effect, wave intensity and the inverse square law, and shock waves and applications, providing detailed explanations, derivations, solved examples, and practical applications to ensure conceptual clarity and problem-solving proficiency.
17.1 Sound Waves and Their Properties
Sound waves are longitudinal mechanical waves that propagate through a medium via compressions and rarefactions. This section explores their properties, a fundamental topic for JEE/NEET acoustics problems.
Characteristics of Sound Waves
- Speed of Sound: In a medium,
, where is the bulk modulus and is the density. In air at 20°C, . - Frequency and Pitch: Frequency
determines pitch; human hearing range is 20 Hz to 20 kHz. - Amplitude and Loudness: Amplitude
relates to loudness; larger amplitude means louder sound. - Wave Equation:
, where is pressure variation, is pressure amplitude. - Displacement Form: Displacement
, related to pressure via .
Speed of Sound in Different Media
- Gases:
, where is the adiabatic index, is pressure. For air, . - Liquids:
, e.g., water ( , , ). - Solids:
, where is Young’s modulus (longitudinal waves).
Pressure and Displacement Relationship
The pressure variation in a sound wave is related to displacement:
Derivation: Speed of Sound in a Gas (
For an ideal gas, sound propagates adiabatically. The bulk modulus for an adiabatic process is
For air at 20°C,
Derivation: Pressure-Displacement Relationship
For a sound wave, displacement
Derivation: Speed Dependence on Temperature in a Gas
For an ideal gas,
Derivation: Particle Velocity in a Sound Wave
For
Solved Example: A JEE Main problem involves the speed of sound in air at 27°C (
- Solution:
. Use : Round to . - JEE Tip: Speed increases with temperature; use absolute temperature (K). Common error: Using Celsius directly, underestimating
.
- JEE Tip: Speed increases with temperature; use absolute temperature (K). Common error: Using Celsius directly, underestimating
Solved Example: A NEET problem involves a sound wave
- Solution:
. Maximum: . - NEET Tip: Maximum particle velocity occurs when
; is the coefficient of . Common error: Confusing particle velocity with wave speed.
- NEET Tip: Maximum particle velocity occurs when
Solved Example: A JEE Advanced problem involves a sound wave in water (
- Solution:
. - JEE Tip: Speed in liquids is higher than in gases due to higher
; matches expected value for water (~1480 m/s). Common error: Using gas formula without adjusting for medium.
- JEE Tip: Speed in liquids is higher than in gases due to higher
Solved Example: A JEE Main problem involves a sound wave with
- Solution:
, so . - JEE Tip: Displacement amplitude is small for sound waves; ensure consistent units. Common error: Forgetting
in the denominator.
- JEE Tip: Displacement amplitude is small for sound waves; ensure consistent units. Common error: Forgetting
Application: Sound wave properties apply to acoustics (e.g., concert halls), medical imaging (e.g., ultrasound), and rocketry (e.g., launch noise analysis).
17.2 The Doppler Effect
The Doppler effect describes the change in frequency of a wave due to relative motion between the source and observer, a key concept for JEE/NEET problems involving sound and motion.
Doppler Effect for Sound
When a source moves relative to an observer, the observed frequency
: Speed of sound in the medium. : Speed of the observer (positive toward the source). : Speed of the source (positive away from the observer).
Cases
- Source Moving Toward Observer, Observer Stationary:
, , so . - Observer Moving Toward Source, Source Stationary:
, , so . - General Motion: Use the formula with appropriate signs for
and .
Doppler Effect for Light (Relativistic)
For light, the non-relativistic formula doesn’t apply due to the constant speed
This applies to high-speed sources (e.g., in astrophysics), but JEE/NEET typically focuses on sound.
Derivation: Doppler Effect for Sound
Consider a source moving at speed
Derivation: Frequency Shift for Source Moving Toward Observer
If the source moves toward the observer (
Derivation: Doppler Effect in Rocket Tracking
A rocket (source) moving at
Derivation: Temperature Dependence of Doppler Effect
The speed of sound
Solved Example: A JEE Main problem involves a car moving at
- Solution:
(toward observer), . Use : Correction: Source moving toward observer increases frequency: . - JEE Tip: Sign convention is critical;
is negative when the source approaches. Common error: Incorrect sign for , leading to a decreased frequency.
- JEE Tip: Sign convention is critical;
Solved Example: A NEET problem involves an observer moving at
- Solution:
, . Use : - NEET Tip: Observer motion toward the source increases frequency; use the numerator to adjust. Common error: Forgetting to include
in the denominator.
- NEET Tip: Observer motion toward the source increases frequency; use the numerator to adjust. Common error: Forgetting to include
Solved Example: A JEE Advanced problem involves a rocket moving at
- Solution:
, . . - JEE Tip: Source moving away decreases frequency; relevant for rocket tracking (your interest, April 19, 2025). Common error: Using incorrect sign for
.
- JEE Tip: Source moving away decreases frequency; relevant for rocket tracking (your interest, April 19, 2025). Common error: Using incorrect sign for
Solved Example: A JEE Main problem involves a source and observer both moving toward each other at
- Solution:
, . . - JEE Tip: Both moving toward each other increases
; simplify fractions carefully. Common error: Incorrect handling of signs for relative motion.
- JEE Tip: Both moving toward each other increases
Application: The Doppler effect applies to radar (e.g., speed guns), astronomy (redshift), and rocketry (e.g., tracking rocket velocity via frequency shifts, aligning with your interest, April 19, 2025).
17.3 Wave Intensity and the Inverse Square Law
Wave intensity measures the power transmitted by a wave per unit area, a key concept for understanding sound and light wave propagation in JEE/NEET problems.
Wave Intensity
Intensity
For a sound wave,
Inverse Square Law
For a point source emitting waves spherically (e.g., sound, light), intensity decreases with distance
Thus,
Decibel Scale
Sound intensity level is measured in decibels (dB):
where
Derivation: Intensity of a Sound Wave (
For a sound wave, the energy flux is related to pressure and particle velocity. Average power per unit area:
Derivation: Inverse Square Law (
A point source emits power
Derivation: Decibel Scale
Define intensity level
Derivation: Intensity in Rocket Launch Noise
A rocket launch produces
Solved Example: A JEE Main problem involves a sound wave with
- Solution:
. - JEE Tip: Intensity scales with
; ensure units match (Pa² over kg/m³·m/s gives W/m²). Common error: Forgetting the factor of 2 in the denominator.
- JEE Tip: Intensity scales with
Solved Example: A NEET problem involves a point source emitting
- Solution:
. - NEET Tip: Use
for spherical waves; intensity decreases as . Common error: Using (cylindrical waves) instead.
- NEET Tip: Use
Solved Example: A JEE Advanced problem involves a sound intensity
- Solution:
. - JEE Tip: Each factor of 10 in intensity adds 10 dB;
means 60 dB. Common error: Using natural log instead of base-10 log.
- JEE Tip: Each factor of 10 in intensity adds 10 dB;
Solved Example: A JEE Main problem involves a rocket launch with
- Solution:
, so . - JEE Tip: Inverse square law applies to spherical waves; relevant for launch noise (your interest, April 19, 2025). Common error: Using linear scaling (
).
- JEE Tip: Inverse square law applies to spherical waves; relevant for launch noise (your interest, April 19, 2025). Common error: Using linear scaling (
Application: Wave intensity applies to acoustics (e.g., sound design), medical physics (e.g., ultrasound intensity), and rocketry (e.g., launch noise levels, aligning with your interest, April 19, 2025).
17.4 Shock Waves and Applications
Shock waves occur when an object moves faster than the speed of sound in a medium, creating a sudden pressure change, a phenomenon often tested in JEE/NEET high-speed motion problems.
Shock Waves and Mach Number
A shock wave forms when an object’s speed
Sonic Boom
A sonic boom is the audible shock wave produced when an object (e.g., a supersonic jet) exceeds the speed of sound, causing a sudden pressure jump heard as a loud bang.
Applications
- Supersonic Flight: Shock waves affect aircraft design (e.g., drag, stability).
- Medical Physics: Shock waves are used in lithotripsy to break kidney stones.
- Rocketry: Shock waves during launches impact structural design and ground safety.
Derivation: Mach Cone Angle (
Consider a source moving at speed
Derivation: Pressure Jump in a Shock Wave
Across a shock wave, pressure jumps due to compression. Using the Rankine-Hugoniot relations (simplified for JEE/NEET), the pressure ratio scales with
Derivation: Shock Wave in Rocket Launch
A rocket at
Derivation: Energy Dissipation in Shock Waves
Shock waves dissipate energy via compression and heat. The entropy increase across a shock scales with
Solved Example: A JEE Main problem involves a jet flying at
- Solution:
. Mach angle: , . - JEE Tip: Mach number determines shock wave behavior;
decreases as increases. Common error: Using instead of .
- JEE Tip: Mach number determines shock wave behavior;
Solved Example: A NEET problem involves a rocket at
- Solution:
. , . - NEET Tip: Higher
means a narrower cone; use . Common error: Forgetting to convert to an angle.
- NEET Tip: Higher
Solved Example: A JEE Advanced problem involves a shock wave with
- Solution:
. - JEE Tip: Shock waves cause large pressure jumps; simplified formula works for JEE. Common error: Using incorrect
for the medium.
- JEE Tip: Shock waves cause large pressure jumps; simplified formula works for JEE. Common error: Using incorrect
Solved Example: A JEE Main problem involves a rocket launch at
- Solution:
. , . - JEE Tip: Shock waves during launches (your interest, April 19, 2025) affect safety zones; compute
first. Common error: Incorrect sign in .
- JEE Tip: Shock waves during launches (your interest, April 19, 2025) affect safety zones; compute
Application: Shock waves apply to aerodynamics (e.g., supersonic aircraft), medicine (e.g., lithotripsy), and rocketry (e.g., shock wave analysis during launches, aligning with your interest, April 19, 2025).
Summary and Quick Revision
- Sound Waves:
(gas), (liquid/solid). , . Particle velocity: . . - Doppler Effect:
. Source toward observer: . Observer toward source: . Light (relativistic): , . - Wave Intensity:
. Inverse square law: , , . Decibel: , . - Shock Waves:
, (Mach cone). Pressure jump: . - Applications: Acoustics, radar, medical imaging, supersonic flight, rocket launches.
- JEE/NEET Tips: Use correct signs in Doppler formula, compute
first for shock waves, apply inverse square law for spherical waves, convert intensity to dB using base-10 log, verify significant figures (April 14, 2025), distinguish particle and wave speeds. - SI Units: Speed (m/s), frequency (Hz), intensity (W/m²), pressure (Pa), Mach number (dimensionless).
Practice Problems
Explore our problem set with 100 problems inspired by JEE Main, JEE Advanced, and NEET patterns to test your understanding.
Watch on YouTube
Our Hinglish video lessons make waves engaging! Subscribe for updates.
Animation for visualizing sound waves, Doppler effect, and shock waves coming soon!
Note: Content regularly updated to align with current JEE/NEET syllabi.