NIOS Class 10 Science Activity 18.3 Sound and Communication | Complete Explanation

This activity explains how sound is produced in a flute and how the force of air affects the loudness and pleasantness of sound.

Sound and Communication Activity Solution

This activity is based on the NIOS Class 10 science and technology (212) Chapter 18- Sound and Communication Module 4- Energy

Aim

 To study how blowing air with different pressures into a flute affects loudness and the  quality of sound

Materials Required

   1. A flute

Procedure

We take a flute and close all six holes with our finger,s but avoid using the small finger. Now we blow air gently into the flute and listen to the sound.

 Now we keep all holes closed and blow harder, and observe the changes in the loudness.

Then we blow in short bursts and then continuously, and compare the sounds we hear in both cases.

Observation

 We observe that –

(1)      When we blow gently, the sound is soft.

(2)       When air is blown harder, the sound is louder.

(3)      When we blow air in short bursts, the sound is unpleasant, while continuous blowing gives a smooth and pleasant sound.

Explanation

When we blow air into the flute, it causes the air column inside to vibrate and produces sound. When we blow harder, it increases the amplitude of vibration and produces a loud sound.

An irregular blowing disturbs the vibration and causes an unpleasant sound, but a continuous blowing maintains a steady vibration and produces a pleasant note.

Conclusion

We can conclude that sound in a flute is produced by vibrating air inside. We can also find that the loudness of sound depends on how hard the air is blown, and continuous blowing produces a pleasant sound.

Frequently Asked Questions

   1. Why does the sound become louder when we blow hard into the flute?

Answer – Hard blowing increases the amplitude of vibrations, that is why sound becomes louder.

   2. Why does intermittent blowing produce an unpleasant sound?

Answer – Intermittent blowing causes uneven vibrations, which produce an unpleasant sound.

   3. What type of musical instrument is a flute?

Answer – A flute is a wind instrument.