physics sound glossary

Question 1

amplifier

Answer 1

a device used to make sounds louder

Question 2

amplify

Answer 2

to increase the amplitude of a sound so that it sounds louder

Question 3

audible range

Answer 3

the range of frequencies that you can hear

Question 4

auditory canal

Answer 4

the passage in the ear from the outer ear to the ear drum

Question 5

auditory nerve

Answer 5

an electrical signal travels along the auditory nerve to the brain

Question 6

cochlea

Answer 6

snail-shaped tube in the inner ear with the sensory cells that detect sound

Question 7

compression

Answer 7

the part of a longitudinal wave where the air particles are close together

Question 8

crest

Answer 8

the top of a wave

Question 9

decibel

Answer 9

a commonly used unit of sound intensity or loudness (dB).

Question 10

diaphragm

Answer 10

the part of a microphone that vibrates when a sound hits it

Question 11

ear

Answer 11

the organ of the body that detects sound

Question 12

eardrum

Answer 12

a membrane that transmits sound vibrations from the outer ear the the middle ear

Question 13

echo

Answer 13

a reflection of a sound wave by an object

Question 14

hertz

Answer 14

the unit of frequency

Question 15

incident wave

Answer 15

the wave coming from a source of light

Question 16

infrasound

Answer 16

a sound below a frequency of 20 Hz

Question 17

inner ear

Answer 17

the semi-circular canals that help you balance, and you cochlea

Question 18

kilohertz

Answer 18

1 kilohertz=1000 hertz

Question 19

longitudinal

Answer 19

how loud you perceive a sound of certain intensity to be

Question 20

medium

Answer 20

the material that affects light or sound by slowing it down or transferring the wave

Question 21

microphone

Answer 21

a device used for converting a sound into and electric signal

Question 22

middle ear

Answer 22

the ossicles (small bones) that transfer vibrations from the outer ear to the inner ear

Question 23

oscillation

Answer 23

something that moves backwards or forewards

Question 24

oscilloscope

Answer 24

a device that enables you to see electrical signals, like those made by a microscope

Question 25

ossicles

Answer 25

the small bones of the middle ear (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) ,that transfer vibrations from the eardrum to the oval window

Question 26

outer ear

Answer 26

The pinna, auditory canal, and eardrum

Question 27

oval window

Answer 27

the membrane that connects the ossicles to the cochlea

Question 28

pinna

Answer 28

the outside part of the ear (what we can see)

Question 29

pitch

Answer 29

a property of sound determined by its frequency

Question 30

rarefaction

Answer 30

the part of a longitudinal wave where air particles are spread out

Question 31

receiver

Answer 31

the device that absorbs the sound waves

Question 32

reflected wave

Answer 32

the wave that is reflected from a surface

Question 33

reflection

Answer 33

the change in direction of a ray or wave after it hits a surface and bounces off

Question 34

reverberation

Answer 34

the persistence of a sound for a longer period than normal

Question 35

sound

Answer 35

a series of compressions and rarefactions that move through a medium

Question 36

speed of light

Answer 36

the distance of light travelled in one second

Question 37

speed of sound

Answer 37

the distance sound travels in one second

Question 38

superpose

Answer 38

when waves join together so that they add up or cancel out

Question 39

transmitter

Answer 39

a device that gives out light our sound

Question 40

transverse

Answer 40

the vibrations are at right angles to the direction the waves move

Question 41

trough

Answer 41

the bottom of a wave

Question 42

ultrasound

Answer 42

sound at a frequency greater than 20,000 Hz, beyond the range of human hearing

Question 43

vacuum

Answer 43

a space in which there is no matter

Question 44

vibration

Answer 44

backwards and forwards motion of the parts of a liquid or solid

Question 45

vocal chords

Answer 45

the pieces of skin that vibrate to produce sound