Our Investigations
Sound Basics
Vibrations
How can I....?
Volume or Pitch
100
Which guitar, top or bottom, showed fast vibrations? Which guitar, top or bottom, showed slow vibrations?
Top=fast
bottom=slow
100
True or False: Sound travels in waves.
true
100
True or False: Sound is caused by vibrations.
True
100
The strings on my guitar are pulled really tight. I want to lower the pitch of the sounds my guitar is making. What do I need to do?
loosen the strings
less tension=lower pitch
100
High sound from a short guitar string describes this characteristic.
pitch
200
When we made our paper cup telephones, we talked into one end and the person on the other end could feel the bottom of their telephone vibrate. Why did this happened? (explain the path of the sound vibration)
The vibration produced by our voice traveled through the air, through the cup, through the string and into our partners cup. When the sound vibration entered their cup, they could feel the vibration.
200
What must be present in order for a sound to be heard?
matter/ molecule for the sound vibrations to travel through. Solids, liquids, or gases.
200
B.
200
I am listening to a presentation in a large auditorium and the presenters microphone is not working. I am sitting in the very back of the room and I am having a difficult time hearing him. What can I do to hear him better?
move closer; changing the distance between the speaker and myself will make his volume seem louder
200
Described as loud or soft
volume
300
What did Hum Feeler feel when Big Noise made a sound?
The balloon vibrated.
300
What type of pitch is shown on the oscilloscope graph below?
high
300
Jayden and his little brother are on a boat trip looking for dolphins. Jayden’s little brother keeps banging his hand on the side of the boat. Jayden says to his little brother, “Shhh! Be quiet, I don’t want you to scare the dolphins away!” Jayden’s little brother says, “Don’t be ridiculous, the dolphins can’t hear us through the water!”
How could Jayden convince his little brother that sound can be heard through water?
Answers will vary, but answer should include something about having Jayden's brother listen to a sound under water, such as the pouring of a bath tub faucet.
300
I knocked gently on my neighbors door to tell them that their dog had gotten out of the fence. They did not hear my knock. What can I do to make my knock sound louder so that they can hear it?
knock harder
300
Described as low or high
pitch
400
What happened in this Mystery Science experiment when the bell was ringing inside of the glass dome, but all of the air was vacuumed out? 
We could no longer here the sound because sound cannot travel through empty space. When the air was vacuumed out, there were no air molecules for the sound to travel through.
400
True or False: Sound travels better through the air than through a liquid.
False; remember that because the molecules in a solid are packed closely together, the vibration spreads quickly. This is why we can hear better through a closed door or solid wall when we press our ear to it.
400
The tuba is a large instrument that produces slow vibrations. What kind of pitch does the tuba produce?
low
400
I am using a rubber band to make a sound. The sound I am making has a low pitch. What can I do to my rubber band to make the pitch higher?
I can pull the rubber band tighter, increasing the tension. This will cause the rubber band to vibrate more quickly and produce a higher pitch. More tension=faster vibration=higher pitch.
400
This characteristic changes if you pluck a rubber band and stretch it each time it is plucked.
Pitch. The pitch will get higher and higher each time the rubber band is plucked.
500
In one of our investigations we watched a video of people trying to bust a car's windshield. What were they doing that caused the windshield to shatter? Explain your answer.
They were turning up the volume REALLY loud! This produced VERY big vibrations that eventually shattered the window.
500
What type of pitch is represented on the oscilloscope graph below?
low
500
Which type of string (such as on a guitar) will producer the higher sound?
Short and thin OR long and thick
short and thin
500
When making a sound with a rubber band, how can I make the sound louder?
My strumming it with more force/Strum it harder.
500
You change this characteristic if you blow a whistle harder.
Volume. An increase in force increases the volume of the sound.