sound waves Flashcards
sound waves travel as?
longitudinal waves
sound waves particles vibrate ….. to the direction of wave motion?
parallel
can sound travel through a vacuum?
no
why can’t sound travel through a vacuum?
sound needs particles to travel through and space is a vacuum
what are sound waves produced by?
vibrating particles
vibrations can be transferred….
from one material to another
the higher the temperature means what for the speed?
the faster the speed
what equipment do you need to investigate the speed of sound in air?
trundle wheel, wooden blocks, stopwatch, oscilloscope, 2 microphones and a tape measure
method for the measuring speed of sound in air practical?
1) use the trundle wheel to measure 100m between 2 people
2) one person should have 2 wooden blocks which they will bang together above their head
3) the second person has a stopwatch which they will start when they see the first person bang the 2 blocks together
4) they will stop the stopwatch when they hear the sound
5) repeat the experiment for different distances
measuring the speed of sound using an oscilloscope?
1) connect 2 microphones to an oscilloscope
2) place them 2 metres apart using a tape measure
3) set up the oscilloscope so that it triggers when the first microphone detects a sound and adjust the time base so that the sound arriving at both microphones can be seen on the screen
4) make a large clap using the wooden blocks next to the first microphone
5) use the oscilloscope to determine the time at which the clap reaches each microphone and the time distance between the 2
6) repeat the experiment for different distances
what equipment is needed for the practical to investigate the frequency of a sound wave using an oscilloscope?
5 tuning forks, a microphone, an oscilloscope and some wires
steps to complete the practical of measuring the frequency of a sound wave using an oscilloscope?
1) connect the microphone to the oscilloscope
2) test the microphone
3) adjust the time base of the oscilloscope until the signal fits on the screen
4) hit the tuning fork loudly to generate sound waves of high frequency
5) hold the tuning fork near the microphone and observe the sound wave on the oscilloscope’s screen
6) take a picture of the oscilloscopes screen
7) measure and record the time period of the wave signal on the screens by counting the number of divisions for one complete wave cycle
8) repeat the steps for a variety of tuning forks
what does the pitch of the sound wave depend on?
the frequency
what is pitch?
the highness or lowness of a tone
low pitch =
low frequency
