Sound Waves
What is a wave?
A wave is a disturbance that transfers energy through matter or space.
What is sound energy?
Sound energy is the energy carried by sound waves as they travel through a medium.
What is pitch?
Pitch is how high or low a sound is, determined by the frequency of the sound wave.
Name a use of ultrasound.
Ultrasound is used in medical imaging to visualize internal body structures.
What is a sound wave in nature?
A sound wave in nature is a wave produced by natural phenomena, such as wind, water, or animal calls.
Name a type of wave.
Sound waves, light waves, water waves, etc.
How can sound waves move objects?
Sound waves can exert pressure and cause vibrations, which can move lightweight objects.
What is loudness and how is it measured?
Loudness is the perceived intensity of a sound, which relates to the amplitude of the sound wave.
How do musicians use sound?
Musicians use sound to create music by manipulating pitch, volume, and timbre with their instruments.
Give an example of animal communication using sound.
Birds singing to attract mates, dolphins clicking to communicate, or wolves howling.
What is frequency? Bonus if you can name how it's measured.
Frequency is the number of times a wave cycles (or repeats) in one second, measured in hertz (Hz).
What happens when sound hits a surface?
When sound hits a surface, it can be reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through the material.
How do we perceive sound?
We perceive sound through our ears, which detect vibrations and convert them into electrical signals sent to the brain.
What is echolocation?
A process animals use to locate objects by emitting sounds and listening to the echoes that return in order to "see" their surroundings.
How do earthquakes produce sound?
Earthquakes produce sound through seismic waves that travel through the ground and produce vibrations.
How does sound travel?
Sound travels in waves through a medium (solid, liquid, or gas) by vibrating particles.
Describe a real-world example of sound making something move.
What is the Doppler effect?
The Doppler effect is the change in frequency or wavelength of a wave in relation to an observer moving relative to the wave source.
What is sonar?
Sonar is a technology that uses sound waves to detect and locate objects underwater.
What is a sonic boom?
A sonic boom is the sound associated with the shock wave created when an object travels through the air faster than the speed of sound.
What is amplitude?
the distance from the starting position to a peak or valley.
What is resonance?
Resonance is the phenomenon that occurs when an object vibrates at its natural frequency due to an external sound wave, amplifying the motion.
What is an echo?
An echo is the reflection of sound that arrives at the listener after the original sound has stopped.
Describe a technology that uses sound waves.
Examples include echolocation in bats, medical ultrasound devices, and noise-canceling headphones.
How do some animals use echolocation?
Animals like bats and dolphins use echolocation to emit sound waves and interpret the returning echoes to locate objects.