Travelling vibrations
I can explain how vibrations are passed to and through the air, to allow sounds to be heard.
Travelling vibrations
I can explain how vibrations are passed to and through the air, to allow sounds to be heard.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- A vibrating object causes nearby air particles to vibrate too.
- Air particles are knocked forwards but then spread backwards when the object moves back.
- Vibrating air particles knock into their neighbours and set them vibrating too, in the same way.
- The pattern of vibrating particles creates a sound wave. Sound does not involve air particles travelling.
- Scientific models often only accurately reflect some aspects of what they represent.
Common misconception
Pupils can think that sound is a material substance, or involves particles of some kind (e.g. of air, or 'of sound') travelling or being blown out from a source.
Spend time exploring and modelling how vibrating objects set particles vibrating, how vibrating particles will collide into neighbouring particles to set them vibrating too, and how patterns of vibrations produce the 'pulses' of a sound wave.
Keywords
Particle - What solids, liquids and gases are made up from.
Vibrate - To regularly and repeatedly move back and forth.
Scientific model - Any way of accurately representing, picturing or imagining a scientific idea.
Wave - A disturbance that travels, like a ripple on water.
Equipment
Loudspeaker, signal generator/sound input, candle (to provide a demonstration of Task B – optional but will add engagement – check it works as anticipated first).
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
the loudness of a sound
how high or low a note is
the size of a vibration (how far an object vibrates)
the number of vibrations per second