Sound

• What causes sound waves?

  • Caused by vibrating objects
  • Vibrations pass through surrounding medium
  • Series of compressions and rarefactions
• What type of wave are sound waves classified as?

  Longitudinal waves
• How do sound waves travel through solids?

  By causing particles in the solid to vibrate
• What determines which frequencies can be transmitted through an object?

  Size, shape, and structure of the object
• What happens when sound waves hit a solid object?

  • Vibrations cause particles in the solid to vibrate
  • These vibrations pass through the solid as a wave
  • The sound wave continues to propagate through the solid
• How do sound waves travel in different media?

  At different speeds
• What happens to the wavelength of sound as its speed increases?

  Wavelength gets longer
• How do sound waves behave when they enter different media?

  They can refract and change speed
• What is the relationship between frequency and wavelength in sound?

  Frequency is inversely proportional to wavelength
• What happens to sound waves as they spread out?

  They lose energy and intensity
• Why is it hard to spot changes in direction of sound waves?

  Because they spread out so much
• What are the key properties of sound waves?

  • Frequency: Determines pitch
  • Amplitude: Determines loudness
  • Speed: Varies in different media
  • Wavelength: Inversely related to frequency
• How do sound waves behave when their speeds change?

  They speed up when shorter and slow down when longer
• What happens to sound waves as they enter different media?

  They can refract as they enter different media
• Why is it hard to spot changes in direction of sound waves?

  Because they spread out too much
• What surfaces reflect sound waves?

  Hard, flat surfaces
• How are echoes related to sound waves?

  Echoes are just reflected sound waves
• Why can't sound travel in space?

  Because space is mostly a vacuum
• How do sound waves cause your eardrum to vibrate?

  Sound waves reach and cause it to vibrate
• What are the tiny bones in your ear called?

  Ossicles
• How do vibrations from the eardrum reach the brain?

  They are passed on to tiny bones
• What does the brain do with the signals it receives from the ear?

  It interprets them as different sounds
• What determines the pitch of a sound?

  The frequency of the sound wave
• How does a higher frequency sound wave affect pitch?

  It results in a higher pitch sound
• What limits human hearing?

  The size and shape of the ear structures
• How do sound waves transmit through the ear to the brain?

  Through vibrations passed by the ossicles
• What is the relationship between sound waves and vibrations in the ear?

  • Sound waves reach the eardrum
  • Eardrum vibrates in response
  • Vibrations are transmitted to ossicles
  • Signals sent to the brain for interpretation
• What are the components involved in hearing sound?

  • Sound waves enter the ear
  • Eardrum vibrates
  • Ossicles transmit vibrations
  • Cochlea converts vibrations to electrical signals
  • Signals sent to the brain
• How do sound waves affect solid objects?

  • Sound waves cause solids to vibrate
  • Vibrations can be felt or heard
  • Different frequencies create different effects
• What are the parts of the ear involved in hearing?

  • Outer ear
  • Middle ear (ossicles)
  • Inner ear (cochlea)
  • Auditory nerve to the brain
• What is the role of the cochlea in hearing?

  • Converts vibrations into electrical signals
  • Sends signals to the brain for interpretation
• How does the brain interpret different sounds?

  • Based on frequency and intensity of signals
  • Differentiates pitch and volume
• What happens to sound waves when they encounter different materials?

  • They can reflect, refract, or absorb
  • Behavior depends on material properties
• What is the electromagnetic spectrum?

  • Range of all types of electromagnetic radiation
  • Includes visible light, radio waves, and X-rays