chapter 2 second book The nature of sound

Question 1

sound wave

Answer 1

a longitudinal wave that is caused by vibrations and that travels through a material medium

Question 2

medium

Answer 2

a physical environment in which phenomena occur

Question 3

pitch

Answer 3

a measure of how high or low a sound is perceived to be, depending on the frequency of the sound wave

Question 4

Doppler effect

Answer 4

an observed change in the frequency of a wave when the source of observer is moving

Question 5

loudness

Answer 5

the extent to which a sound can be heard

Question 6

decibel

Answer 6

the most common unit used to measure loudness

Question 7

echo

Answer 7

a reflected sound wave

Question 8

echolocation

Answer 8

the process of using reflected sound waves to find objects; used by animals such as bats

Question 9

interference

Answer 9

the combination of two or more waves that results in a single wave

Question 10

sonic boom

Answer 10

the explosive sound heard when a shock wave from an object traveling faster than the speed of sound reaches a person’s ears

Question 11

standing wave

Answer 11

a pattern of vibration that simulates a wave that is standing still

Question 12

resonance

Answer 12

a phenomenon that occurs when two objects naturally vibrate at same frequency; the sound produced by one object causes the other object to vibrate

Question 13

sound quality

Answer 13

the result of the blending of several pitches through interference

Question 14

noise

Answer 14

a sound that consists of a random mix of frequencies