A hearing test is conducted on an aged person. It is found that her thresold of hearing is $20 \,dB$ at $1 \,kHz$  and it rises linearly with frequency to $60 \,dB$ at $9 \,kHz$. The minimum intensity of sound that the person can hear at $5 \,kHz$ is
KVPY 2016, Advanced
Download our app for free and get startedPlay store
$(b)$ Sound level (in decibel) is defined as

$\beta=10 \log _{10}\left(\frac{I}{I_{0}}\right)$

where, $I=$ intensity of sound and $I_0=$ reference intensity $\left(\sim 10^{-12} \,W / m ^2\right.$ ).

Now, taking antilog, we have

$\frac{I}{I_0}=10^{\left(\frac{\beta}{10}\right)} \Rightarrow I=I_0 \times 10^{\left(\frac{\beta}{10}\right)} \quad \dots(i)$

Here, $\beta=20$ at $1 \,kHz$ and $\beta=60$ at $9 \,kHz$.

'Taking a linear relation, $\beta=k f+c$

where, $k$ and $c$ are constants and $f=$ frequency.

So, we have

$20=k \times 1+c \quad \dots(ii)$

$\text { and }$ $60=k \times 9+c \quad \dots(iii)$

Subtracting, Eqs. $(ii)$ and $(iii)$, we get

$60-20 =9 k-k+c-c$

$40 =8 k+0$

$8 k=40$

$k=5$

Putting the value of $k$ in Eq. $(ii)$, we have

$20=5+c \Rightarrow c=15$

$\Rightarrow \quad c=15$

$\therefore \operatorname{At} f=5 \,kHz ,$

$\beta=k f+c=5(5)+15$

$=40$

Now, width $\beta=20$ and $\beta=40$ from Eq. $(i)$, we have

$\text { Intensity, } \quad I =I_{0} \cdot 10^{\left(\frac{\beta}{10}\right)}$

$\Rightarrow \quad I_{1 \,kHz }=I_0(10)^{\frac{20}{10}}=I_{0} \cdot 10^2$

$I_{5 \,kHz }=I_0(10)^{\frac{40}{10}}=I_0 \cdot 10^4$

$\Rightarrow \quad \frac{I_{5 \,kHz }}{I_{1 \,kHz }}=\frac{10^4}{10^2}=100$

art

Download our app
and get started for free

Experience the future of education. Simply download our apps or reach out to us for more information. Let's shape the future of learning together!No signup needed.*

Similar Questions

  • 1
    Wave has simple harmonic motion whose period is $4\; sec$ while another wave which also possesses simple harmonic motion has its period $3\; sec$. If both are combined, then the resultant wave will have the period equal to ....... $sec$
    View Solution
  • 2
    The frequency of echo will be $.......Hz$ if the train blowing a whistle of frequency $320\,Hz$ is moving with a velocity of $36\,km / h$ towards a hill from which an echo is heard by the train driver. Velocity of sound in air is $330\,m / s$.
    View Solution
  • 3
    A man is standing between two parallel cliffs and fires a gun. If he hears first and second echoes after $1.5 \,s$ and $3.5\,s$ respectively, the distance between the cliffs is .... $ m$ (Velocity of sound in air $= 340 ms^{-1}$)
    View Solution
  • 4
    In a resonance tube the first resonance with a tuning fork occurs at $16 cm$ and second at $49 cm.$ If the velocity of sound is $330 m/s,$ the frequency of tuning fork is
    View Solution
  • 5
    When a tuning fork of frequency $341$ is sounded with another tuning fork, six beats per second are heard. When the second tuning fork is loaded with wax and sounded with the first tuning fork, the number of beats is two per second. The natural frequency of the second tuning fork is
    View Solution
  • 6
    When two sound waves travel in the same direction in a medium, the displacements of a particle located at $'x'$ at time $'t'$ is given by

    ${y_1} = 0.05\,\cos \,\left( {0.50\,\pi x - 100\,\pi t} \right)$

    ${y_2} = 0.05\,\cos \,\left( {0.46\,\pi x - 92\,\pi t} \right)$

    then velocity is..... $m/s$

    View Solution
  • 7
    Two waves are approaching each other with a velocity of $16 m/s$ and frequency $n.$ The distance between two consecutive nodes is
    View Solution
  • 8
    For the stationary wave $y = 4\sin \,\left( {\frac{{\pi x}}{{15}}} \right)\cos (96\,\pi t)$, the distance between a node and the next antinode is
    View Solution
  • 9
    What could be a correct expression for the speed of ocean waves in terms of its wavelength $\lambda $ , the depth $h$ of the ocean, the density $\rho $ of sea water, and the acceleration of free fall $g$ ?
    View Solution
  • 10
    When an aeroplane attains a speed higher than the velocity of sound in air, a loud bang is heard. This is because
    View Solution