Question

Which object is vibrating when the following sounds are produced?
1.The sound of a sitar
2.The sound of a tabla
3.The sound of a tuning fork
4.The buzzing of a bee or mosquito
5.The sound of a flute.

Answer 1

Hint: We need to understand the functioning of all the given objects which can produce sound waves. We need to analyze the parts or the object which vibrates to produce the sound we hear from these objects under consideration as per problem.

Complete step by step answer:
We know that any sound we hear is the result of the vibrations produced in the objects that pass through the air columns to reach our ears. In ears also, the sound vibrates the ear drums which can be converted to electric pulses that are recognized as sound by the brain.
Let us consider the given objects and find the parts which vibrate to produce the sound as a result.
1.The sound of a sitar: The sitar is a musical instrument which has strings of different thicknesses. The musician plucks the strings in such a way to produce the required sound. The sound is produced as a result of the vibration of the stretched strings on the instrument.
2.The sound of a tabla: It is also a musical instrument with a stretched membrane. The player beats this membrane which vibrates and produces the sound.
3.The sound of a tuning fork: The tuning fork is a device which has two prongs connected to a common handle. The prongs vibrate and produce sounds which interfere and result in a beat of a constant frequency.
4.The buzzing of a bee or a mosquito: The insects produce the sound by flapping their wings. The wings of the bees and mosquitoes can vibrate with a very high frequency to produce the sound.
5. The sound of a flute: The flute is another musical instrument which is a long tube with numerous holes on it. The musician blows through one end of the tube and allows the air to go out only through certain holes which causes vibration of different types in the air column.

Note: Any vibration can cause sound if the vibration can be sensible to the human ears. Every vibration has a frequency and an amplitude which are the necessary conditions for the production of sound. What we hear depends on our hearing capacity and other environmental factors.