Travelling sound
I can explain why sounds are quieter at a greater distance, and why sound waves travel faster in solids and liquids than gases but not at all through a vacuum.
Travelling sound
I can explain why sounds are quieter at a greater distance, and why sound waves travel faster in solids and liquids than gases but not at all through a vacuum.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
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).
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).
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.
To help you plan your year 7 science lesson on: Travelling sound, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 7 science lesson on: Travelling sound, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 science lessons from the Sound, light and vision unit, dive into the full secondary science curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Balloon, air pump, tubing and suitable valve, bell jar, petroleum jelly (to seal bell jar to its platform), drawing pins or similar sharp object (Task C). Metal objects and string (Task B).
