Learning About Sound

Objective:

POS Benchmark 1.5.6 / SOL 5.2

Students investigate and understand how sound is transmitted and is used as a means of communication.

• 1.5.6-1 Define frequency, waves, wavelength, resonance, and vibration and describe their relationship to sound energy.

Procedure:

On the Internet:

1. From the Launcher, click on Internet, and then Netscape. Go to the Tech Lab Web Page and click on Learning About Sound.
2. Visit The Soundry. Click on The Ear. After exploring all the parts of the ear, label your ear diagram. Make notes about the function of each part.
3. From the Main Menu of the Soundry page, now click on Physics and then on Properties of a Sound Wave.
4. Define: wavelength, period, frequency, amplitude, and pitch. You can write your answers on the back of your ear diagram.
5. Quit Netscape.

Using Digital Oscilloscope:

1. From the Launcher, under Applications, select and open Oscilloscope. You may have to click on Tools in the Menu bar and drag to Oscilloscope.
2. Work with the person sitting next to you to take screen snapshots of the sound waves produced by making different sounds. Make sounds that are soft, loud, high, low and record the sound waves they make.
3. Copy and paste each of your sound waves into Appleworks and label each sound wave.
4. Use the tuning fork and take a picture of that sound wave. Is this different from the other sound waves you made? Why or why not?

On the Internet:

1. Go back to The Soundry, but this time click on The Sound Lab. Explore some of those interactive links. This section is meant to be a fun learning experience by letting you see and hear sound in action.
2. Visit the Sound is Energy website and see pictures of sound waves made by different musical instruments.
3. Visit The Wizards Lab and click on Sound and Waves.