The research question posed in this paper is: how does the relative speed of two objects affect the sound pressure level of the sound produced by a head-on collision of the two objects? The research aims to derive a general formula between the relative speed between two objects and the sound pressure level of their collision and confirms the derivation through experimental means. The theoretical derivation involves the acoustic wave equation to formulate the sound wave produced and the Hertzian impact theory to find the acceleration experienced by the object during the collision. Combining the two theories give a direct relationship between the relative speed of the objects and the sound pressure level of the sound produced on the collision of the two objects. The experiment tested seven different values of relative speed. The sound pressure level was measured using a sound level meter and the relative speed was measured using photogates. The setup was within controlled conditions in the laboratory and data were collected by measuring the sound pressure level readings in each collision. The formula obtained from the experiment, , is established for the relative speeds ranging from 1 m/s to 4m/s. Statistical methods analyzing the data show high degree of precision of the data: adjusted R-squared value of 0.989; standard errors of 4.3% and 1.91 % for the constants in the model; and percentage uncertainties of dependent and independent variables below 2% . It is proposed to repeat the experiment for a wider relative speed range to test the applicability of the formula.

Grade: B