Sound Energy
What is sound?

Sound is
–
A form of energy made by vibrations.
–
When an object vibrates it causes the air particles
around it to move.
–
These particles bump into particles close to them
and this continues until they run out of energy.
Try this:

Put your finger on your neck and say “aah”
as loud as you can.

Now say it as soft as you can.

You can not only hear the sound, but you can
feel the vibration inside your throat.
How does sound travel?

Sound travels through all forms of matter—
gases, liquids and solid.

These are called the medium.

Sound cannot travel through a vacuum.
What is pitch?

Pitch is how high or how low a sound is.

This is a high pitched sound.

This is a low pitched sound.
How does sound travel?


Sound passes through the medium as
longitudinal waves.
When the vibrations are fast you hear a
high pitch. When they’re slow, you hear a
low pitch.
High Pitch
Low Pitch
How else can we change sound?


We can make it louder or softer by changing
the amplitude of the height of the wave.
The higher the amplitude, the louder the
sound. The lower the amplitude the softer
the sound.
Louder
Softer
How do musical instruments create
sound?

It depends on the type of instrument. There
are four types.
–
–
–
–
Woodwind
String
Percussion
Brass
Woodwinds Instruments

Woodwinds make music by blowing on the
top of the instrument or on a reed.
Clarinet
Bassoon
Oboe
Flute
Piccolo
String Instruments

Strings make music by plucking or strumming
the strings.
Cello
Guitar
Harp
Violin
Electric
Guitar
Percussion Instruments

Percussion instruments make music by
striking, shaking or scraping them.
Tambourine
Piano
Drum
Cymbals
Xylophone
Maracas
Brass Instruments

Brass instruments make music by buzzing
lips while blowing.
Trombone
French Horn
Tuba
Trumpet
Did you know?

Sound travels 4 times faster through water
than through air.

There is no sound in space.

Geologists use their knowledge of how
sound travels through rocks to help them find
oil fields.