Starter quiz
- A vibrating object creates a sound. Which of the following correctly describes the amplitude of the vibration?
- how high the sound is
- the speed of the vibrating object
- the number of vibrations per second
- the furthest distance the object moves from its original position ✓
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- A vibrating object creates a sound. Which of the following correctly describes the change in the sound heard if the amplitude of the vibration decreases?
- The volume of the sound increases.
- The volume of the sound decreases. ✓
- The pitch of the sound increases.
- The pitch of the sound decreases.
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- Which of the following correctly describes the movement of air particles when a sound wave travels through the air?
- They are carried along with the sound wave.
- They vibrate back and forth and do not travel. ✓
- They move away from the source of the sound.
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- Solids, liquids and gases are made of particles. Which of the following describe the arrangement or the movement of particles in a solid?
- They are very close together. ✓
- They can move around each other.
- They are tightly bound to neighbouring particles. ✓
- They vibrate around fixed positions. ✓
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- Which of the following describe the arrangement or the movement of particles in a liquid?
- They can move around each other. ✓
- They are tightly bound to neighbouring particles.
- They vibrate around fixed positions.
- They are much farther apart than in solids.
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- Which of the following describe the arrangement or the movement of particles in a gas?
- They can move around each other. ✓
- They vibrate around fixed positions.
- They are tightly bound to neighbouring particles.
- They are much farther apart than in liquids. ✓
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Exit quiz
- Which of the following words means ‘a completely empty area of space’?
- continuum
- vaccine
- vacuole
- vacuum ✓
- vanadium
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- Which of the following words means ‘a substance that a wave travels through’?
- small
- mean
- medium ✓
- median
- large
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- How many of the following can sound travel through: vacuum, gas, liquid, solid?
- none of them
- 1
- 2
- 3 ✓
- 4
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- Sound travels at different speeds through different states of matter. Starting with the slowest, sort the following states of matter in order of increasing sound speed.
- 1⇔gas
- 2⇔liquid
- 3⇔solid
- Which of the following explains why sound travels at different speeds through solids, liquids and gases?
- Sound waves can travel faster through larger gaps between particles in gases.
- Vibrations are passed along faster if particles are bonded together. ✓
- Vibrations are passed along faster if the particles can move around each other.
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- A vibrating object creates a sound. Which of the following correctly describes the change in the sound heard the further a sound wave travels?
- The sound gets quieter. ✓
- The amplitude of particle vibrations increases.
- The energy of the sound wave is shared between more particles. ✓
- The energy of the sound wave is shared between fewer particles.
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Worksheet
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Presentation
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Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Sound spreads out and becomes quieter (lower amplitude vibrations) as it travels.
- Sound travels through a medium by vibrations being passed on between the particles of the medium.
- Sound travels faster through liquids than gases as the particles are closer so vibrations can be passed on more easily.
- Sound travels fastest through solids due to strong attractive forces between particles so many vibrate when one does.
- Sound waves are caused by vibrations of particles so sound can't travel through a vacuum (where there are no particles).
Common misconception
Sound needs gaps through which it moves in order to enter a room or space. At the same time, most pupils can state that sound can't travel in a vacuum but the majority cannot correctly explain why.
An alarm can still be heard in a sealed container that has no gaps (e.g. kilner jar). Provide lots of experiences and examples of sound travelling through gases, liquids and solids and struggling to travel through a partial vacuum.
Keywords
Particles - What solids, liquids and gases are made up from.
Vibrate - To regularly and repeatedly move back and forth.
Sound wave - A ‘pulse’ that travels through a material caused by the vibrations of particles.
Medium - The material that sound is travelling through, that is set vibrating.
Vacuum - An area of space with no matter present (that contains no particles).
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