Sound Basics
This type of energy is produced when something vibrates.
“What is sound energy?”
The back-and-forth motion that produces sound.
“What is a vibration?”
The number of vibrations that occur per second.
“What is frequency?”
The lowest natural frequency of a vibrating object.
“What is the fundamental tone?”
The state of matter where sound travels the fastest.
“What are solids?”
This is required for sound to travel — without it, there is no sound.
“What is a medium?”
The parts of a sound wave where particles are squeezed together.
“What are compressions?”
This unit measures how loud a sound is.
“What is a decibel (dB)?”
Higher frequencies that blend with the fundamental tone to create unique sound quality.
“What are overtones?”
The state of matter where sound travels the slowest.
“What are gases?”
This type of wave moves particles back and forth in the same direction the wave travels.
“What is a longitudinal wave?”
The parts of a sound wave where particles are spread apart.
“What are rarefactions?”
This is the reflection of sound waves.
“What is an echo?”
The quality of sound that makes one voice or instrument sound different from another.
“What is timbre?”
The meaning of the acronym SONAR.
“What is Sound Navigation and Ranging?”
This is why you cannot hear sounds in space.
“What is because there are no particles to vibrate?”
The height of a wave that determines its loudness.
“What is amplitude?”
This happens when sound waves bend as they enter a new medium.
“What is refraction?”
A pleasant combination of sounds and an unpleasant combination of sounds.
“What is resonance?”
The system bats and dolphins use to locate food or objects.
“What is echolocation?”
This explains how sound travels through the air from one particle to another.
“What is vibrations causing compressions and rarefactions that transfer energy?”
The distance between identical points on two adjacent waves.
“What is wavelength?”
This occurs when two or more sound waves overlap and combine.
“What is interference?”
A pleasant combination of sounds and an unpleasant combination of sounds.
“What are consonance and dissonance?”
The reason a ping-pong ball moves when placed near a vibrating tuning fork.
“What is because sound waves transfer energy through the air and move the ball?”