Question 5 of 23intermediate💡 UnderstandMCQ1 mark

When sound travels from a tuning fork to your ear, which of the following actually reaches your ear?

Exercise: Pause and Ponder | Q: 5 | (Page 9)
For More Understanding

Explanation

Option (ii) is correct because when a sound wave passes through a medium, the particles of the medium only vibrate temporarily and return to their usual random motion after the wave passes; they do not physically travel from the tuning fork to the ear. Therefore, it is the energy carried by the sound waves that actually reaches the ear, not the air particles, the tuning fork material, or a continuous stream of compressed air.

Solution Steps

  1. Step 1: Analyze how sound propagates based on the context. The context states that when a sound wave passes through a medium, it temporarily increases the vibration of the particles, and after the wave passes, the particles return to their usual random motion.

  2. Step 2: Evaluate the options. Since air particles do not travel from the tuning fork to the ear (they only vibrate temporarily), options (i) and (iv) are incorrect. Option (iii) is incorrect because the tuning fork material itself does not travel to the ear.

  3. Step 3: Conclude that since the disturbance (wave) passes through the medium without the permanent displacement of the particles, it is the energy carried by the sound waves that reaches the ear, making option (ii) the correct choice.

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