Vibrations & Sound Waves
What do we call the back-and-forth motion that makes sound start?
Vibrations
Sound needs a ______ to travel (it cannot move through empty space)
Answer: medium
What happens to sound when it hits a soft material like a thick curtain
It is absorbed
Name a device that uses vibrations to make a sound that people in a large audience can hear
Speaker,
True or False: Vibrations can be very slow or very fast, and that changes how the sound seems to us.
True
Name three types of materials (mediums) sound can travel through.
air, water, solid
What happens to sound when it hits a hard, flat surface like a wall?
It reflects/bounces back as an echo
What body part helps us hear by collecting vibrations from the air?
The ear
What part of a guitar vibrates when you pluck a string and makes the sound?
The String
True or False: Soft materials like thick curtains and carpet make a room sound louder by reflecting sound.
False
Which material from this list would make a struck object sound the quietest:
metal,
wood,
foam?
Foam
Name a device people wear in their ear to help them hear better.
Hearing aid
Explain how a tuning fork makes a sound that you can hear.
Strike the fork → the tines move back and forth (vibrate).
This is a vibration that travels as a mechanical wave through a medium like a gas, liquid, or solid
Soundwave
Give one example of a material that makes sound travel well and one that makes sound quiet (absorbed)
Metal or Wood = travels/; foam or fabric = absorbs)
Name one negative environmental and one negative societal impact of a siren
The loudness of sirens can hurt people's ears who have hearing sensitivity. Sirens can also alert wild life
What is the difference between a high-pitched sound and a low-pitched sound in terms of vibration speed? Use simple words.
High pitch = faster vibrations; low pitch = slower vibrations.
Describe how sound moves from a speaker to your ear, naming the medium and the form the energy takes.
The speaker vibrates, causing sound waves in the air to travel to the ear
Why might a room with lots of carpets and curtains be quieter than a room with tile and bare walls?
Carpets and curtains absorb sound, reducing echoes and making it quieter
Explain the negative societal impact of wind turbines
Wind turbines make sounds that disturb nearby residents and impact their sleep