Question

The loudness of sound depends upon
A. its velocity
B. its pitch
C. its amplitude
D. its frequency

Answer 1

Hint: We hear many types of sound in our routine life. Our ears have a certain mechanism to sense different variations in sound. The loudness of the sound can be defined as a measure of the response of the ear to the sounds. Here, we need to find the parameters which affect the loudness to solve this question.

Complete Answer:
Let us first discuss the human hearing system. It starts when the sound reaches our ear from the
external factor and ends at the sensation of sound or sound realization. Thus, we can say that our
The hearing system is a multi-step process.

It is important to know that loudness does not only depend on the energy of the sound which reaches our ears but also depends on the detection of sound waves by our ears. Loudness relies upon the
intensity of the sound which is ultimately the amplitude of sound waves. Moreover, sensitivity of sound also affects the loudness of the sound.

Thus, we can say that the loudness of a sound depends on the amplitude of the sound wave. It directly
proportional to the square of the amplitude of vibration. Thus, the loudness of sound increases with
increase in amplitude and decreases with the decrease in amplitude. For example, if the amplitude of
the sound wave becomes double, then the loudness of the sound will be quadrupled.

Thus, option C is the correct answer

Note: Sometimes the terms loudness and intensity are used interchangeably, though they are not the same. Loudness is a measure of the response of the ear to the sound whereas the amount of sound energy passing each second through the unit area is called the intensity of sound. Even when two sounds have equal intensity, one may be heard louder than the other simply because the former one is detected in a better way by our ears.