to:

1. describe the vibration of particles in a sound

wave and explain why sound does not

travel
in a vacuum.
2. explain echoes in terms of the reflection of
sound waves.
3. draw and interpret waveforms, and
recognise the link between loudness and
amplitude, pitch and frequency.
 Vibration Sound wave
• Is what any object
• It is a movement about a makes when it vibrates.
fixed point.

• This movement may be

described as a to-and-
fro movement or a
backwards-and forwards
movement.
• Sound waves can travel in a gas, a
liquid or a solid, because they all
contain particles.
• When an object vibrates, it makes the particles next to
it in the gas, liquid or solid vibrate too.
• As the object moves away from the air particles next to it, it
gives the particles more space, so they spread out.
 Sound and the particle model of matter

The vibrating object The particles move apart when

pushes on the air around it. the side of the vibrating object
moves away from them.
It is the to-and-fro movement or a backwards-and
forwards movement about a fixed point.
The different positions that particles make as they move to
and fro from their position form a shape like that of a wave.
 • A baby crying makes a
sound with a high pitch.

• Thunder makes a sound

with a low pitch.
 Sound waves can be
represented in a waveform.
How is amplitude
related to the
loudness of the
sound?

How is frequency
related to the
pitch of the
sound?
Draw a line to match each display to the correct change.
Sound will travel though anything that has
particles: gas, liquid or solid.

Sound travels faster in solid

How does a snake use sound
due to the closeness of
waves in detecting its prey?
particles, but not as far.
 To hear a sound, there must be:

• a vibration to make the sound

• a medium containing particles
through which the sound wave can
travel.
B F C E A D
No, because there are no particles in a vacuum that could
transmit the vibrations.
One property of all waves is that they can be
reflected from surfaces.

A sound wave travelling towards

a wall will hit the wall and come
back.
Cupping your hands can send your
voice to longer distances.

Its curved shape makes the reflected soundwaves go

straight into the reflector, making the sound louder.
 Sound waves reflect best
from large, smooth, flat
surfaces.

Surfaces such as glass, tiles, flat

metal and smooth concrete give
louder sound and seems to have
a slight echo.
- is made by many reflected sounds reaching the
ear very close together.
 The human ear can only hear two sounds separately if they reach the
ear more than one-tenth of a second apart.

Sound travels at about 340 metres per second, or 34 m in 1/10 of a

second.
 A crash of thunder /
thunderclap,
is due to the heat of the
lightning that makes the air
expand so fast, making the
noise

•The sound gets reflected off the

clouds, making multiple echoes.
Echo
The heat of the lightning makes the air around it
expands, and that makes the noise

It is reflected off the clouds.

checking a fetus’ health in the
womb
SONAR: SOund Navigation Ranging
 The sound wave from the bat
echoes off the insect.
Dolphin comparing the ultrasounds released and
echoed back to find shoals of fish.
 • Used by scientists who study
sounds
To absorb the reflected sound, thus
preventing echoes and reverberations • The most silent places on Earth.