Sound Study Guide

Test Date: Thursday, 1/26/2012

All sound is a form of energy.
Sound is caused by vibrations, a shaking back and forth movement.
A sound source creates vibration.
A sound receiver detects, responds to, or hears a sound.
Volume is how loud or soft a sound is.
Pitch is how high (squeak) or low (boom) a sound is.
             High Pitch:  fast vibration (high frequency)
                                 short length
                                 tight tension
             Example: Short objects like violin strings vibrate quickly and have a high pitch.
             Low Pitch:  slow vibration (low frequency)
                                  long length
                                  loose tension
             Example:  Long objects like bass fiddle strings vibrate slowly and have a low pitch.

Sound waves need a medium to travel through, such as solids, liquids, and gases (air).
Sounds travel better through water than air.
Sounds travel best through solids.
Being able to tell different sounds apart is called sound discrimination.
Be able to give an example of a sound source.
Be able to give an example of a sound receiver.
Explain the pitch and vibrations of a shorter object compared to a longer object.

In our musical bottle experiment, the bottle that made the highest pitch was the bottle with the least amount of water.  It vibrates faster than the bottles with more water in them.

Be able to label the different parts of the ear: (outer ear, ear canal, 3 bones, ear drum, nerves, cochlea).