Question

Answer briefly.

State any two applications of acoustics.

Answer 1

• Application of acoustics in nature:

1. Bats apply the principle of acoustics to locate objects. They emit short ultrasonic pulses of frequency 30 kHz to 150 kHz. The resulting echoes give them information about the location of the obstacle. This helps the bats to fly in even in the total darkness of caves.
2. Dolphins navigate underwater with the help of an analogous system. They emit subsonic frequencies which can be about 100 Hz. They can sense an object about 1.4 m or larger.

• Medical applications of acoustics:

1. High pressure and high amplitude shock waves are used to split kidney stones into smaller pieces without invasive surgery. A reflector or acoustic lens is used to focus a produced shock wave so that as much of its energy as possible converges on the stone. The resulting stresses in the stone cause the stone to break into small pieces which can then be removed easily.
2. Ultrasonic imaging uses the reflection of ultrasonic waves from regions in the interior of the body. It is used for prenatal (before the birth) examination, detection of anomalous conditions like a tumour, etc. and the study of heart valve action.
3. Ultrasound at a very high-power level destroys selective pathological tissues which are helpful in the treatment of arthritis and a certain type of cancer.

• Underwater applications of acoustics:

1. SONAR (Sound Navigational Ranging) is a technique for locating objects underwater by transmitting a pulse of ultrasonic sound and detecting the reflected pulse.
2. The time delay between transmission of a pulse and the reception of reflected pulse indicates the depth of the object.
3. Motion and position of submerged objects like submarine can be measured with the help of this system.

• Applications of acoustics in environmental and geological studies:

1. The acoustic principle has important application to environmental problems like noise control. The quiet mass transit vehicle is designed by studying the generation and propagation of sound in the motor’s wheels and supporting structures.
2. Reflected and refracted elastic waves passing through the Earth’s interior can be measured by applying the principles of acoustics. This is useful in studying the properties of the Earth.
3. Principles of acoustics are applied to detect local anomalies like oil deposits etc. making it useful for geological studies.