Sound Energy

Sound
Sound travels on a longitudinal wave:
Notice that sound travels in a spiral form like a slingy

Imagine what happens when you drop a stone into a
pool of water. Waves ripple out from the spot
where the stone entered the water. The way waves
move across the water is similar to how sound
waves travel through the air.
When you speak or shout, your vocal chords vibrate .
These vibrations travel in all directions through the
air as waves. When the waves reach our ears, they
make our eardrums vibrate too, so we can hear the
words.
Sound waves travel on a MEDIUM:
Any SOLID, LIQUID OR GAS
Sound travels by pushing the particles of a substance.

The particles push into the particles next to them, and
then return to their original position. And the sound
continues to travel in this form until it reaches your
ear!
Which state of substance would
sound travel through faster?
WHY?
Mediums:
• Sound travels through a solid faster, than through
a liquid, which is faster, than through a gas.
– Our ears are custom to hear sound through a
gas…
Compressions and Rarefractions:
Compressions: area of sound waves where
molecules are closer together (E)
Rarefraction: area of sound where
molecules are further apart (B)
Wavelength:
Wavelength: distance from end of compression to
the end of the next compression (A)
Air
molecule
Rarefaction (decreased air

Stereo density)
Speaker
Compression (increased air

density)
wavelength
Frequency:
Frequency: the number of waves produced per

second (C)
Two other properties that affect sound energy:
1.Pitch
2.Intensity
PITCH
Pitch is the rate at which the vibrations
are produced.
The higher the frequency, the higher the
pitch.
Which picture above would have the lowest pitch? Highest pitch?
The more waves per second (or
the higher the frequency), the
higher the pitch!
Intensity
Intensity depends on the strength, or
amplitude, of the vibrations producing the
sound.
If a piano string is struck forcefully the string swings
back and forth in a wider arc. The stronger
vibration then produces a louder tone since
stronger vibrations compress the molecules of the
air more forcefully and gives them greater energy,
which is interpreted by our ears as a louder sound.
So in conclusion:
Sound energy travels on a
___________________ wave.
Sound travels through a
____________. Sound travels
better through a _____________
medium, than a ______________
medium.
A sound wave is made up of two
parts; compressions and
rarefractions. The
_______________ represent areas
where the molecules are closer
together. Where as, a
___________________ is where
the molecules are further apart.
The distance from the end of one
compression to the beginning of
the next compression is called the
______________________. The
more waves per second the
____________ the frequency. The
greater the frequency the
__________ the pitch.
The more force put into the
pulse (which starts the
sound) the greater the
__________________ of
the sound. Therefore, the
sound will be louder.
1. A teacher attaches a slinky to the wall and begins
introducing pulses with different amplitudes. Which of
the two pulses (A or B) below will travel from the hand
to the wall in the least amount of time? Justify your
answer.
They reach the wall at the same time

2. The teacher then begins introducing pulses with a
different wavelength. Which of the two pulses (C or D)
will travel from the hand to the wall in the least amount
of time ? Justify your answer.
They reach the wall at the same time.

3. Doubling the frequency of a wave
source doubles the speed of the waves.
TRUE or FALSE:
FALSE!
The speed of a wave is unaffected by changes in the
frequency. It is affected by the medium!
3. Two waves are traveling through the same container of
nitrogen gas. Wave A has a wavelength of 1.5 m. Wave
B has a wavelength of 4.5 m. The speed of wave B must
be ________ the speed of wave A.
a. one-ninth
b. one-third
c. the same as
d. three times larger than
Answer: C
4. Why do we hear this when a jet flies past
us?
•The closer the jet is to our ears, the closer the
wavelengths. Therefore, we hear a higher pitch when the

jet is closer, and a lower pitch as it moves further away.
Also, the closer the jet the more intensity; therefore it

seems louder to our ears.
5. Label the three pictures below with the following:
a. highest pitch (HP)
b. middle pitch (MP)
c. lowest pitch (LP)
LP MP HP

Sound Energy

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Sound Energy

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Sound Energy

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Sound

Sound travels on a longitudinal wave:

Notice that sound travels in a spiral form like a slingy

Sound travels by pushing the particles of a substance.

Rarefaction (decreased air

Compression (increased air

Frequency: the number of waves produced per

They reach the wall at the same time

They reach the wall at the same time.

•The closer the jet is to our ears, the closer the

wavelengths. Therefore, we hear a higher pitch when the

Also, the closer the jet the more intensity; therefore it

You might also like