Sound vibrations
I can describe how sounds are caused and explain what sets the volume and pitch of a sound.
Sound vibrations
I can describe how sounds are caused and explain what sets the volume and pitch of a sound.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- All sounds are caused by vibrations. Some vibrations are too small or too fast to see.
- The volume of a sound means how loud or quiet it is. The pitch of a sound means how high or low it is.
- Amplitude is a measure of the distance or size of a vibration. The greater the amplitude, the louder a sound.
- Frequency is a measure of how often the vibrations occur. The greater the frequency, the higher the pitch.
- Sounds of different volume and pitch can be produced by controlling the amplitude and frequency of vibrations.
Common misconception
Pupils often do not use the concept of vibrations to explain the source of a sound, if the vibrations are not obvious, such as vibrating air in a wind instrument or from two stones knocked together.
Include examples of sounds caused by vibrations that are not caused by something that is obviously vibrating, such as a string in a stringed instrument.
Keywords
Volume - Describes the loudness of a sound.
Pitch - Describes how high or low a note is.
Vibration - A repeated back and forth movement.
Amplitude - Measures the size of a vibration, i.e. how far an object vibrates.
Frequency - The number of vibrations that occur every second.
Equipment
Detailed in the Additional Materials (teacher and technican notes).
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
how high or low the note of a sound is
a regular, repeating back and forth movement
how loud or quiet a sound is
a guitar string plucked normally
a guitar sting plucked very gently
a guitar plucked with a lot of force