Science Magazine

May 24, 2017

Joules Magazine

SOUND ENERGY INSIDE: What is Sound Energy?

Fun Facts About Sound Energy!

Martin De Bedout

Table of Contents - What is Sound Energy? 1 - How is Sound Energy Used in Everyday Life? 2 - Fun Facts about Sound Energy 4 - Numbers in the News 5 - Graphs 7 - World Connection 8 - References 9

What is Sound Energy?

Sound energy is a kind of energy that is caused by the vibrations an object makes after force is applied to it. It is a form of mechanical energy, so it has to travel through a medium, such as air or water. It moves in the form of waves, more specifically compression or rarefaction waves. A high volume sound wave will have more air pressure, while a low volume sound wave will have less air pressure. Anything that produces sound produces sound energy. For example, a vibrating drum lets out sound energy when the sticks play it.

When a person talks, they let sound energy out into the air.

Sound energy is measured by its pressure and intensity, in units called pascals and decibels. Since sound energy is a type of energy, it has the ability to do work. However, sound energy generally isn’t as powerful as other types of energy and can’t do as much work ("What Is Sound Energy?," n.d.).

Sound Wave

("Types of Energy," n.d.)

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How is Sound Energy Used in Everyday Life?

Sound energy produces a tiny amount of energy compared to other types of energy, so it is not commonly used around the world to power machines. As described by MIT, “... the density of the energy is very low, and there is no way to capture it at all�("Can Sound Be Converted to Useful Energy?," n.d.). Other types of energy, like solar and wind, are used instead. Sound energy though, is still around in everyday life today. For example, when you talk to someone, you are emitting sound energy because of the vibrations in your vocal chords. When you play an instrument, vibrations in the instrument produce also sound energy. All the sounds you have ever heard in your life have come because of vibrations and have created sound energy. Forces and objects all over the world are constantly hitting other objects and causing them to vibrate, sending sound waves into motion.

Even though we may not realize it, sound energy is all around us in our everyday lives, from birds chirping in the morning to the sound of traffic on a street ("Can Sound Be Converted to Useful Energy?," n.d.).

People Talking

Kids Playing Instruments

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Fun Facts About Sound Energy! ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

The intensity of sound energy is usually measured using the perception of a normal hearing person.

Dogs' ears are more sensitive than human ears which allows them to hear sounds that humans cannot hear.

There is no sound in space because there is no object for sound to travel through.

Elephants, bats, and wax moths are among the animals with the best hearing.

Sound travels through a solid much faster than through air.

Sound travels faster through a liquid such as water faster than it travels through air.

Acoustics is the study of sound waves.

Flies cannot hear at all. ("Sound Energy Facts," n.d.)

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Numbers in the News ● 767 miles per hour is the speed of sound ("Sound Energy Facts," n.d.). ● When whales communicate with each other, their sound can travel up to 800 km in the ocean ("Sound Energy Facts," n.d.). ● The largest sound ever recorded came from the Krakatoa volcanic eruption, a sound that was heard over 3,000 miles away ("The World’s Loudest Sound," n.d.). ● There are 340 different dog breeds. These dogs can often hear sounds that humans cannot (Melina, 2010). ● Humans can hear sounds of up to 140 decibels (Roode, 2016).

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Graphs (Sengpiel, n.d.)

Graph that shows how the loudness of sound decreases with distance. ("How Are Sounds Viewed and Analyzed?," n.d.)

Graph that shows how different frequency sounds produce different amounts of energy.

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World Connection Even though sound energy is very scarcely used today, some companies have experimented with the possibilities of using sound energy to help power machines. The most prominent of these companies is the Japanese Design Foundation, which, in 2009, developed the Sonia Machine: a machine that was supposed to be able to take in energy from loud noises, such as a plane taking off, and convert it into energy that is able to Map of Japan do work. The machine was a ball that weighed 7 kg and had panels that would take in noise and convert it into useful energy. However, the product has not really taken off, and it isn’t used commonly today (Burns, 2009).

SONEA 8

References Burns, C. (2009, September 08). SONEA Converts Sound to Energy. Retrieved May 23, 2017, from http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/09/09/sonea-converts-sound-to-energy/ Can sound be converted to useful energy? (n.d.). Retrieved May 23, 2017, from https://engineering.mit.edu/engage/ask-an-engineer/can-sound-be-converted-to-useful-energy/ How are sounds viewed and analyzed? (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2017, from http://www.dosits.org/science/soundmeasurement/viewed/ Melina, R. (2010, August 05). The Incredible Explosion of Dog Breeds. Retrieved May 25, 2017, from http://www.livescience.com/8420-incredible-explosion-dog-breeds.html Roode, L. D. (2016, November 14). 5 sound levels in decibels. Retrieved May 25, 2017, from https://www.alpinehearingprotection.com/wiki/5-sound-levels-in-decibels/ Sengpiel, E. (n.d.). Sound intensity I and the inverse square law 1/r². Retrieved from http://www.sengpielaudio.com/calculator-squarelaw.htm Sound Energy Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2017, from http://www.softschools.com/facts/energy/sound_energy_facts/401/ Speed of Sound. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2017, from https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/K-12/airplane/sound.html Types of Energy. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2017, from http://learn.e-limu.org/topic/view/?c=236 What is sound energy? (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2017, from http://www.eschooltoday.com/energy/kinds-of-energy/what-is-sound-energy.html The world’s loudest sound. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2017, from http://kottke.org/14/10/the-worlds-loudest-sound

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