Sound Wave Basics
What causes sound waves to be produced?
Vibrations
What property of a sound wave determines how loud or soft it is?
Amplitude
What property of a sound wave determines its pitch?
Frequency
What is a medium?
The material through which a wave travels.
If you hit a drum harder, will the sound be louder or softer?
Louder
What type of wave is a sound wave?
Longitudinal wave
Does a sound with a large amplitude sound louder or quieter?
Louder
Does a high-frequency sound have a high or low pitch?
High pitch
Name three states of matter that sound can travel through.
Solids, liquids, and gases
Which has a higher pitch: a bird chirping or a bass drum beating?
A bird chirping
What travels through a medium when sound is produced?
Energy
What unit is commonly used to measure sound intensity levels?
Decibels
What unit is used to measure frequency?
Hertz (Hz)
Through which medium does sound generally travel the fastest: solid, liquid, or gas?
Solid
If a sound wave has a low frequency, will it have a high or low pitch?
Low pitch
Does sound need a medium to travel?
Yes
What happens to the energy of a sound wave when its amplitude increases?
The energy increases.
What happens to the pitch when the frequency of a sound wave increases?
The pitch gets higher.
Why can you hear someone talking through a wall?
Vibrations travel through the solid wall.
Two sounds have the same frequency but different amplitudes. What will sound different?
Their loudness
Can sound travel through empty space? Why or why not?
No, because sound needs particles in a medium to vibrate.
If you pluck a guitar string harder, what happens to the amplitude and loudness of the sound?
Both increase.
A sound wave has 500 vibrations per second. What is its frequency?
500 Hz
Why does sound generally travel faster through solids than gases?
Particles in solids are closer together, allowing vibrations to transfer more quickly.
If you increase both the amplitude and frequency of a sound wave, what two changes will you hear?
The sound will be louder and have a higher pitch.