Sound

Question 1

How are soundwave vibrations passed through the surrounding medium

Answer 1

A series of compressions and rarefactions

Question 2

Are sound waves longitudinal or transverse

Answer 2

Longitudinal

Question 3

Sound waves generally travel _______ in liquids than they do in gases, and faster in solids than they do in _________.

Answer 3

Faster, liquids.

Question 4

The wavelength gets ________ when the wave speeds up and ________ when it slows down.

Answer 4

Longer, shorter

Question 5

Sound waves will be reflected by ________, ________ surfaces. (Echoes)

Answer 5

Hard, flat

Question 6

Why can’t sound travel in space

Answer 6

Because it’s a vacuum (no particles) and therefore sound can’t travel.

Question 7

Describe how you hear sound

Answer 7

Sound waves reach eardrum which vibrates.
Vibrations are passed to ossicles, through semicircular canals and to cochlea.
Cochlea turns vibrations to electrical signals which are sent to brain.
Brain interprets signals as sounds of different pitches and volumes depending on frequency and intensity.
Higher frequency-higher pitch.

Question 8

What frequency is infrasound/ describe frequency

Answer 8

Frequencies lower than 20Hz

So low we can’t hear them

Question 9

What frequency is ultrasound/ describe frequency

Answer 9

Frequency higher than 20,000 Hz

Beyond the range of human hearing (high)

Question 10

What can infrasound be used for

Answer 10

Volcanoes, avalanches and earthquakes produce infrasound: scientists can monitor infrasound to try to predict events

Explore structure of the earth.