Question

Which wave property determines loudness and pitch, and what is the nature of sound waves?

Answer 1

Hint: We need to understand the different wave properties to differentiate its physical aspects and behavior in a common method. The loudness and pitch are the two characteristics features of the sound which determines its type and quality as listened.

Complete step-by-step solution:
The sound waves are longitudinal waves, which can travel only through a medium. It causes compressions and rare-factions in the medium in which it travels to make the propagation of the wave possible. The sound wave passing through an air medium will move by oscillating the air particles to and fro in the medium as shown below.

The particles oscillate in the direction parallel to the propagation of the wave.
The amplitude and frequency of the sound waves are two main properties as it is for any waves.

The amplitude of the wave is the maximum displacement of the particle from its mean position. It is the property, which determines the loudness of the sound. The amplitude and the loudness are directly proportional, i.e., the greater the amplitude the sound is characterized by a greater loudness.
The frequency of the sound as for any other wave is the number of wavelengths per second. The pitch of the sound is characterized by the frequency of the sound. The pitch is the degree of the shrillness of the voice. The higher the frequency, the greater the pitch of the sound produced by the source.
These are the characteristics and nature of the sound waves.

Note: The female voices are recognized mainly by the amount of shrillness or the higher pitch in their sound. The female larynx produces high pitch sound as compared to the male larynx. Although this is not a regular pattern or fixed value, it is the commonly observed fact.