Chapter 2 the nature of sound

Question 1

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

Answer 1

sound wave

Question 2

a physical environment in which phenomena occur.

Answer 2

medium

Question 3

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

Answer 3

pitch

Question 4

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

Answer 4

Doppler Effect

Question 5

the extent to which a sound can be heard.

Answer 5

loudness

Question 6

the most common unit used to measure loudness.

Answer 6

decibel

Question 7

a reflected sound wave.

Answer 7

echo

Question 8

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

Answer 8

echolocation

Question 9

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

Answer 9

interference

Question 10

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

Answer 10

sonic boom

Question 11

a pattern of vibrations that simulates a wave that is standing still.

Answer 11

standing wave

Question 12

a sound that consists of a random mix of frequencies.

Answer 12

noise

Question 13

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

Answer 13

resonance

Question 14

the result of the blending of several pitches through interference.

Answer 14

sound quality