Touches on some of the basic sound ideas at about the sixth grade level. Uses some home videos to demonstrate points.

1. Must download/save to see the videos/animations
By Moira Whitehouse PhD

3. SOUND IS A FORM OF
ENERGY CAUSED BY
SOMETHING VIBRATING.

4. SOUND IS A FORM OF ENERGY
THAT YOU CAN HEAR
CAUSED BY SOMETHING
VIBRATING

5. A FORM OF WHAT??
ENERGY
CAUSED BY WHAT??
VIBRATIONS

6. WATCH THE SALT
BOUNCE AROUND AS
THE SOUND WAVES
FROM THE RADIO
CAUSE THE STRETCHED
RUBBER TO VIBRATE.

8. YOU SAW THE STRETCHED
RUBBER BOUNCED ABOUT
BY THE SOUND
VIBRATIONS.
WE CALL THESE
VIBRATIONS SOUND
WAVES.

10. WE HEAR THE SOUND, WE
SEE THE THUMB NAIL
PIANO TINES BEING
PLUCKED BUT THE
VIBRATIONS ARE SO FAST
THAT WE CAN NOT SEE
THEM.

11. NOW WE WILL SEE THAT
THE SOUND COMING
FROM A TUNING FORK IS
ACTUALLY CAUSED BY
VIBRATIONS.

14. SOUND VIBRATIONS,
REMEMBER, ARE
ALSO CALLED SOUND
WAVES

15. NEXT WE OBSERVE
SOME CHIMES CHIMING
BUT WE SEE NOTHING
VIBRATING.

17. WHAT IS VIBRATING INSIDE
THOSE TUBES THAT MAKES
THE “BELL- LIKE” SOUND?
THE ONLY THING IN THE
TUBES WAS
AIR
IT MUST HAVE BEEN THE
AIR VIBRATING

18. HERE WE STRIKE
BOTTLES WITH
DIFFERENT
AMOUNTS OF
WATER AND NOTE
THE SOUND.

20. WAS THE AIR VIBRATING
TO MAKE THIS SOUND, OR
WAS IT THE WATER?
IT WAS THE WATER. WE
KNOW, BEAUSE THE JARS
WITH LESS WATER MADE
THE HIGHER PITCHED
SOUND.

21. AH, PITCH
WHAT IS IT?

22. HIGH PITCH, LOW
PITCH AND HOW LOUD
A SOUND BECOMES, IS
DETERMINED BY
SOUND WAVES

23. SOUND
WAVELENGTH IS
DETERMINED BY
HOW FAST THE
SOURCE OF THE
SOUND WAS
VIBRATING.

24. THE MORE SOUND WAVES
THAT PASS BY YOUR EAR
IN ONE SECOND THE
HIGHER THE PITCH.

25. THE DISTANCE FROM ONE
SOUND WAVE PEAK TO THE
NEXT IS THE WAVELENGTH OF
A SOUND WAVE.

26. FAST VIBRATIONS GIVE
SHORT WAVELENGTHS
MAKES HIGHER PITCH

27. SLOWER VIBRATIONS GIVE
LONGER WAVELENGTHS
MAKES LOWER PITCH

28. HOW LOUD SOUND
BECOMES IS
DETERMINED BY HOW
MUCH ENERGY IS IN
THE SOUND WAVE.

29. THE DISTANCE
FROM CREST TO
A CREST
SHOWS
OR FROM THE
A CREST ENERGY IN
TO A A SOUND
TROUGH WAVE

30. THE LESS ENERGY
THE SOFTER OR
QUIETER THE
SOUND

31. THE MORE ENERGY
THE LOUDER
THE SOUND

32. MANY THINGS AFFECT
PITCH.
ON A GUITAR FOR
EXAMPLE, PITCH IS
AFFECTED BY THE
THICKNESS OF THE
VIBRATING STRING.

34. STRING
LENGTH ALSO
AFFECTS
PITCH

36. AND HOW TIGHT
THE STRING IS
AFFECTS PITCH.

38. IN THE NEXT
LESSON WE WILL
FIND OUT HOW
SOUND TRAVELS.